China’s military said on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, that it monitored a United States warship near Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea. The Chinese Southern Theatre Command stated that the USS Charleston, an Independence-variant littoral combat ship, entered the waters adjacent to the shoal without Chinese government approval in the early hours of Tuesday.
The incident occurred in the Spratly Islands, a region where China and the Philippines maintain overlapping territorial claims. While the U.S. Navy did not immediately respond to requests for comment, it generally refers to such missions as "freedom of navigation operations." The sources noted the last such known mission took place over a year ago.
In a statement, the Chinese military accused the U.S. of infringing upon its sovereign rights and jeopardizing maritime stability, demanding an immediate end to such activities. However, a spokesperson for the Philippine military said the U.S. vessel did not trespass into Chinese territory, stating that no nation has the authority to require prior permission for lawful transit through international waters.
Further north on Tuesday, the Taiwan Coast Guard reported a separate standoff with a Chinese Coast Guard ship near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. Taiwanese officials said they dispatched the patrol vessel Taichung to warn away the Chinese ship after it entered restricted waters. During the encounter, the Chinese vessel broadcast a message stating that the "Republic of China does not exist," while the Taiwanese ship responded that Taiwan is a sovereign country.
The maneuvers affect naval personnel and coast guard units from the United States, China, the Philippines, and Taiwan operating in the South China Sea. These specific incidents at Sabina Shoal and the Pratas Islands involve a waterway that serves as a vital shipping and economic corridor. Following a collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels at Sabina Shoal last month, the presence of a U.S. warship occurred amid ongoing disputes between the two nations, which are bound by a mutual defense treaty. No specific court dates or deadlines for these territorial disputes were reported.