China says it "drove away" US destroyer near Scarborough Shoal

On August 12, China’s military announced that it monitored and “drove away” the U.S. destroyer USS Higgins after it sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, while the U.S. Navy maintained that its actions were consistent with international law.

The operation marked the first known U.S. military presence in the shoal’s waters in at least six years, occurring a day after the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of “dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference” during a supply mission in the area.

According to the Chinese Southern Theatre Command, the Higgins entered the waters “without approval of the Chinese government,” a move that “seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, severely undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea.” The command added that it would maintain a “high alert at all times.”

The U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet said the destroyer was asserting navigational rights and freedoms near Scarborough Shoal “consistent with international law,” reflecting Washington’s commitment to uphold freedom of navigation and lawful use of the seas.

“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,” the Navy said.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, despite overlapping claims from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The U.S. frequently conducts “freedom of navigation” operations to challenge what it regards as restrictions on innocent passage by China and other claimants.

Scarborough Shoal is a flashpoint in the strategic waterway, a route for over $3 trillion in annual maritime trade. Chinese actions this week also led to a reported collision between two Chinese vessels, Manila said, the first known in the area. China’s coast guard stated it had taken “necessary measures” to expel Philippine vessels from the waters.

In 2016, an international tribunal ruled that Beijing’s historical claims in the South China Sea had no basis under international law. China has refused to recognise that ruling.

By Tamilla Hasanova