Littoral Combat Ship Transits Past a Contested Reef, Angering China

File image: USS Charleston during an exercise with Japanese forces in 2023 (USN)

At a time of heightened tensions between the Philippines and China, the Independence-class LCS USS Charleston conducted a transit near Sabina Shoal, a contested reef within the boundaries of the Philippine exclusive economic zone and China's overlapping "nine dash line" claim. China's military interpreted the maneuver as a challenge to Beijing's sovereignty and issued a statement of protest.

PLA Southern Theater Command spokesman Yin Gang said in a statement that USS Charleston had "illegally intruded" into waters next to Sabina Shoal, and that China's military had dispatched units to track and monitor the American ship.

Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Military Academic Research Institute and a frequent commentator in Chinese state media, told Global Times that Charleston's transit was calculated to show support for the Philippines and challenge "China's sovereignty in the South China Sea." He emphasized that the PLA has the capability to swiftly detect and track what it considers to be "unauthorized intrusions."

The encounter comes amidst a diplomatic dustup over language used by the Chinese ambassador to Manila last week. In an interview on the 15th, Ambassador Jing Quan told Philippine media that China could "easily win" if it chose to use force to pursue its claims.

"We should feel fortunate enough that you have a neighbor like China in this region. If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we’ll not use force. We love peace," Jing said.

At least 10 Philippine lawmakers have called for Jing to be declared persona non grata and sent back to China. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro summoned him on Monday to register the government's objections. "Secretary Lazaro told the Ambassador that the statement was provocative and unacceptable, and does not contribute to creating understanding," the ministry said in a statement.

China's sweeping maritime claims inside the Philippine EEZ were rejected by an international tribunal in 2016, but Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling and has carried on with what it describes as "rights protection" in "China's" Spratly Islands. Sabina Shoal is about 700 nautical miles from mainland China and 80 nautical miles from the Philippine province of Palawan.

Sabina Shoal has been a flash point for confrontations between Chinese and Philippine forces. In 2024, the Philippine Coast Guard cutter BRP Teresa Magbanua anchored at the reef to deter suspected Chinese land reclamation activity. In response, Chinese forces deployed multiple vessels, including CCG 5901 - the world's largest coast guard cutter at 12,000 tonnes displacement. "It’s an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard," Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tariella told Reuters at the time. The Chinese forces set up a blockade to prevent resupply of the Magbanua, leaving the PCG cutter's crew to subsist on what they could find on board for weeks. Acute health issues stemming from malnutrition and dehydration eventually forced the Magbanua to return to port.