- Category
- World
China Shadows US Navy Warship at South China Sea Flashpoint Just 87 Miles From Philippines
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
China’s military said it tracked a US Navy littoral combat ship after the vessel sailed near Sabina Shoal, a disputed feature in the South China Sea claimed by both Beijing and Manila, early on October 20.
The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said USS Charleston (LCS 18) entered waters near the shoal, which China calls Xianbin Jiao, without Beijing’s permission, according to the state-run Global Times on October 20.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
The Chinese command accused the ship of having “illegally intruded” and said Chinese forces were dispatched to monitor and follow it.
China did not say how close the Charleston came to the shoal, how many ships or aircraft were involved in tracking it, or how long the encounter lasted.
🇨🇳🇺🇸 China says a U.S. warship “illegally intruded” near a disputed reef in the South China Sea early this morning.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 20, 2026
The PLA Navy says it tracked the USS Charleston near Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands, and warned that its forces “remain on high alert at all times.”
Beijing… pic.twitter.com/8d6VTGP3IN
A Southern Theater Command spokesperson reiterated Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, which China calls Nansha Qundao, and surrounding waters. The command urged Washington to halt similar operations and said Chinese forces remained on high alert.
The US Navy had not publicly commented on the transit or confirmed whether it was conducted as a freedom of navigation operation. Washington regularly carries out such missions to challenge maritime restrictions it considers inconsistent with international law.
According to Defence Blog, Sabina Shoal, known in the Philippines as Escoda Shoal, lies roughly 140 kilometers, or 87 miles, from the Philippine island of Palawan and within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
The area became a major South China Sea flashpoint in 2024, when Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels were involved in several collisions during a prolonged standoff around a Philippine patrol ship stationed there.
China claims most of the South China Sea through its so-called nine-dash line. A 2016 international arbitration ruling in a case brought by the Philippines found that Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims had no legal basis under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. China has rejected the ruling.
The United States does not take a position on sovereignty over individual disputed features, but it maintains a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines and says US forces will continue operating wherever international law permits.
USS Charleston is an Independence-class littoral combat ship, a fast, shallow-draft vessel recognizable by its trimaran hull and forward deployment in the Indo-Pacific.
US Navy ships routinely operate near contested areas in the Spratly and Paracel Islands, while China regularly responds by dispatching forces to track them and declaring the transits unlawful.
Earlier, a confrontation between Chinese and Philippine forces near Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea escalated into boat collisions and a physical fight involving oars and long poles.
Discuss this article:
-899d44352237f3ef88d6d4ee49b73d4e.jpg "The sanctioned heavy-lift vessel Ya Qing Hai Yang, formerly known as Ocean 28, which previously transported equipment for Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project. (Source: Open source)")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-b2491a86fb35e63ec9daf8fd701bba87.jpg "An illustrative image of Russia’s A-235 Nudol missile system undergoing testing before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Source: Defense Express)")
