China has claimed the USS Charleston ‘illegally intruded’ into waters adjacent to Sabina Shoal.
Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published October 20, 2026
BEIJING, China — China’s military said on October 20 that it had deployed naval forces to track and monitor a United States warship operating near Sabina Shoal in the disputed South China Sea, accusing the vessel of entering waters claimed by Beijing without authorization. The United States Navy had not immediately responded to the accusation, according to Reuters.
China’s Southern Theater Command identified the vessel as the USS Charleston, an Independence-class littoral combat ship. The command said the ship had entered waters adjacent to Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands during the early hours of Tuesday.
Beijing described the operation as an infringement of its sovereignty and a threat to maritime security. It called on Washington to cease such activities and said Chinese forces had been dispatched to follow the American vessel.
The US Navy had not publicly confirmed the purpose of the ship’s presence at the time of the report. US naval operations in the South China Sea have included freedom of navigation missions intended to challenge maritime claims that Washington considers inconsistent with international law.
Philippines Rejects China’s Territorial Objection
The Philippine military disputed Beijing’s characterization of the American vessel’s movements.
A Philippine military spokesperson said the USS Charleston had not trespassed into Chinese territory and maintained that no country could require prior permission for lawful transit through international waters.
The incident comes as Manila and Beijing continue to dispute sovereignty over Sabina Shoal and other features of the Spratly Islands. The Philippines has a mutual defense treaty with the United States, making maritime developments in the area significant to regional security relations.
In September, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel collided with a Philippine boat during a refueling mission near Sabina Shoal, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. China blamed the Philippine side for that incident.
Competing Claims in the South China Sea
Sabina Shoal is located in the Spratly Islands, an area subject to overlapping maritime and territorial claims involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
China claims extensive rights across the South China Sea, while the Philippines maintains maritime entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The two countries have repeatedly disputed the legality of each other’s activities in contested waters.
The United States does not claim sovereignty over Sabina Shoal but maintains that freedom of navigation and overflight must be preserved in accordance with international law. Washington has also reaffirmed its defense commitments to the Philippines under their mutual defense treaty.
The presence of a US warship near the shoal has therefore brought the competing positions of Beijing, Manila and Washington into direct focus.
Separate Maritime Standoff Near Taiwan
On the same day, Taiwan’s Coast Guard reported a separate confrontation with a Chinese Coast Guard vessel near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, at the northern end of the South China Sea.
Taiwan said it dispatched a vessel named Taichung to warn the Chinese ship away from restricted waters. The two sides exchanged radio messages asserting opposing positions on Taiwan’s political status and sovereignty.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory, while Taiwan is governed separately under its own political system. The reported encounter added another maritime dispute to a day of heightened activity across the region.
The incidents highlight continuing disputes over maritime jurisdiction and military access in the South China Sea and surrounding waters. The status of Sabina Shoal remains contested, with China and the Philippines maintaining opposing claims and the United States continuing to operate naval vessels in the wider region.
