20.10.2026 13:31
A warship crisis has erupted between the US and China in the South China Sea. The Beijing administration announced that the US warship USS Charleston had entered waters near the disputed Sabina Shoal without permission and deployed naval assets to the region. The Chinese military, which began tracking the American ship, issued a stern warning to Washington, while the Philippines argued that the US ship was in international waters.
A new military mobilization has unfolded in the sovereignty dispute between the US and China in the South China Sea. The Chinese military announced that the USS Charleston, a US Navy warship, entered the area around Sabina Shoal near the disputed Spratly Islands on the morning of October 20. The Beijing administration sent naval forces to the region to monitor and track the American ship.
CHINESE MILITARY MOVES INTO ACTION
The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army announced that the US USS Charleston littoral combat ship entered waters around Sabina Shoal without permission from the Chinese government. The statement said that the Chinese navy was assigned to track the American warship and monitor its movements.
The Chinese military stressed that military units in the region were on high alert to protect sovereignty and national security.
HARSH WARNING FROM BEIJING TO WASHINGTON
The Chinese military reacted to the American warship's activities in the region and warned the Washington administration. In the statement, it was argued that the movement of the American ship violated China's sovereign rights and interests, endangered maritime security, and harmed regional peace and stability.
The Beijing administration demanded that the US immediately cease such activities.
PHILIPPINES PUSHES BACK AGAINST CHINA
A response to China's statement also came from the Philippines. A spokesperson for the Philippine military stated that the American warship did not enter Chinese territory without permission.
The spokesperson argued that ships making lawful passage through international waters do not have to obtain prior permission.
The US Navy, meanwhile, did not initially issue an official statement after the incident. The Washington administration generally frames its similar military activities in the South China Sea as operations aimed at preserving freedom of navigation.
TENSIONS IN THE REGION WERE ALREADY HIGH
Sabina Shoal, which has caused a new crisis between the US and China, is one of the areas where a sovereignty dispute between the Beijing and Manila administrations has long existed.
Last September, a Chinese Coast Guard ship and a Philippine boat collided in the same area. While the Philippines held the Chinese ship responsible, the Beijing administration held the Philippine side responsible for the incident.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea. However, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also claim rights in different parts of the region.
TENSE MOMENTS ALSO OFF TAIWAN
The activity in the South China Sea was not limited to the US warship. Taiwan's Coast Guard announced that a Chinese coast guard ship entered restricted waters near Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. Taiwan sent its ship named Taichung to the region and tried to drive away the Chinese ship. The two sides exchanged sovereignty messages over the radio. The two separate developments on the same day once again increased military and diplomatic tension in the South China Sea.