China Tracks USS Charleston Near Disputed South China Sea Shoal

China deployed naval forces to track and monitor the US littoral combat ship USS Charleston near the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea early Tuesday, October 20, 2026, citing a violation of its territorial claims. The incident coincided with a separate maritime confrontation near Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, highlighting simultaneous tensions across the waterway.

China's People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said the American vessel entered waters adjacent to Sabina Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, without authorization from Beijing. The command described the operation as a threat to maritime security and regional stability, according to statements reported by Reuters and Anadolu Agency.

China's military characterized the entry as an unauthorized intrusion and demanded that Washington stop similar operations. Its Southern Theater Command said naval forces had been dispatched to monitor the vessel and remained prepared to protect China's territorial claims.

The Chinese military statement described the operation as a violation of its sovereign rights and warned of consequences for regional security.

China's Southern Theater Command said, "The US side should immediately cease such activities."

The Chinese government claims sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and surrounding waters, an area also contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. The United States Navy had not immediately responded to a request for comment, Reuters reported.

US naval missions of this kind are generally described by Washington as "freedom of navigation operations." Reuters reported that the Navy's last known operation of this type in the South China Sea had taken place more than a year earlier.

A Philippine military spokesperson disputed Beijing's characterization of the American vessel's movements, arguing that the ship had not entered Chinese territory and that international waters did not require advance authorization from China.

The spokesperson said the USS Charleston "did not trespass into 'Chinese territory,'" and defended "lawful transit through international waters."

The confrontation comes amid ongoing friction between Beijing and Manila over maritime claims. Last month, the Philippine Coast Guard said a Chinese Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine boat during a refueling mission near Sabina Shoal. China blamed the collision on the Philippine side.

Both countries claim sovereignty over Sabina Shoal and the wider Spratly Islands. The Philippines also maintains a mutual defense treaty with the United States.

Separately, Taiwan's Coast Guard reported that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel entered restricted waters near the Pratas Islands on Tuesday. Taiwan dispatched its ship Taichung to warn the Chinese vessel away, and the two sides exchanged radio messages as the standoff continued.

According to Taiwan's Coast Guard, the Chinese vessel broadcast, "The so-called Republic of China does not exist." The Taiwanese vessel responded, "The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign and independent country."

The Pratas Islands lie between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong. Taiwan's Coast Guard is responsible for security in the area, which has limited defenses, while Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory.

The confrontation followed a warning from China's Taiwan Affairs Office last week that Taiwan must "bear the consequences" after its Coast Guard used a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas. The office had not immediately responded to a request for comment on Tuesday's incident.

At a forum in Taipei on Tuesday, the chair of a review commission appointed by the US Congress described Chinese Coast Guard patrols east of Taiwan as "highly destabilizing." Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu said China had no legal claim to the waters off the island's eastern coast.