An American guided-missile destroyer’s freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) through Scarborough Shoal drew ire from Beijing amid renewed regional tensions following a severe collision incident between Chinese Navy and Coast Guard vessels near the disputed South China Sea maritime feature earlier in the week.
A U.S. 7th Fleet statement read that USS Higgins (DDG 76) transited Beijing’s “excessive claims area” on Wednesday and asserted “navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea.” In a separate statement, the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command claimed that its forces expelled the destroyer from Scarborough Shoal, which China considers to be within its territorial waters.
“The actions of the US military seriously infringed upon China’s sovereignty and security, severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea and contravened international law and basic norms governing international relations,” read a statement from Captain He Tiecheng, a spokesperson for the naval forces of the command.
The freedom of navigation operation, the first conducted by the U.S. Navy near Scarborough Shoal since 2019, comes after one of the most severe incidents in the contested waters. On Monday, the China Coast Guard Jiangdao-class patrol vessel collided with the People’s Liberation Army Navy 052D-class destroyer Guilin (164) off Scarborough Shoal during their pursuit of a Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat.
U.S. 7th Fleet spokesperson Lt. Sarah Merrill dismissed the People’s Liberation Army claims as false and further claimed that “nothing China says otherwise will deter us.”
“China’s statement about this mission is false. USS Higgins (DDG 76) conducted this FONOP in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations. The operation reflects our commitment reflects our commitment to uphold the freedom of navigation and lawful uses of the sea as a principle. The United States is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Higgins did here. Nothing China says otherwise will deter us.”
While the Independence-class USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) was spotted nearby by a Philippine Coast Guard maritime domain awareness patrol over the disputed maritime feature, it is unclear if the littoral combat ship was a part of the freedom of navigation operation. Lt. Merrill stated that Cincinnati “is currently conducting routine operations in the South China Sea.”
Alongside Higgins and Cincinnati, the Philippine Coast Guard patrol spotted two People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 054A frigates shadowing and challenging American and Philippine forces around Scarborough Shoal. Four China Coast Guard cutters and six maritime militia were also observed. Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson on West Philippine Sea Concerns, also reported that a J-15 fighter jet “dangerously intercepted” the agency’s maritime patrol.
Beijing has yet to address Monday’s Scarborough collision incident, instead opting to increase its rhetoric and assertions over defending Chinese sovereignty at the maritime feature. Activity in the South China Sea and Luzon Strait has been ramping up following Manila’s Kadiwa fishery efforts and an “irregular” China Coast Guard presence in the Northern Philippines.
