Chinese Navy Missile Destroyer Runs Aground in Disputed Territory
On Friday the Chinese Defense Ministry confirmed that one of their navy’s missile frigates had hit rocks and run aground during patrols in a disputed part of the South China Sea near the Philippines.
The ministry says there were no injuries and salvage operations were being coordinated to remove the vessel from the rocks.
The Jianghu-class guided missile destroyer, No. 650, ran aground Wednesday Evening while patrolling Half Moon Shoal, just 60 miles west of the Philippine province of Palawan. The destroyer remains grounded on the southeastern edge of the Spratly Islands in waters that Manila claims to be a part of their exclusive economic zone.
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The waters the vessel was patrolling have been the center of a territory dispute in the South China Sea, mainly between China and the Philippines; but also including territory claims by Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The destroyer is among several Chinese vessels that patrol the area, warding off Filipino fishermen. The ongoing multi nation territory dispute could make salvage operations more challenging. The Philippines says they will be looking into why the Chinese vessel was patrolling the area in the first place.
