China has deployed naval forces to track and monitor a United States warship near the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, escalating tensions between the two global powers over maritime security and territorial claims.

China’s military said on Tuesday that the USS Charleston had entered waters near the shoal in the Spratly Islands without Beijing’s approval. The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command accused Washington of infringing on China’s claimed sovereignty and threatening regional peace and stability.

US Warship Movement Sparks Chinese Response

Beijing demanded that the United States stop such operations, while confirming that Chinese naval forces had been sent to follow the American vessel.

The US Navy had not immediately responded to a request for comment. Washington generally describes similar missions as freedom-of-navigation operations, intended to challenge maritime restrictions it considers inconsistent with international law.

Sabina Shoal is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, where China and the Philippines have competing territorial claims. Other countries, including Vietnam, also claim parts of the wider island chain and surrounding waters.

Regional Tensions Continue to Rise

The latest incident follows a September confrontation near Sabina Shoal, when a Chinese Coast Guard vessel reportedly collided with a Philippine boat during a refuelling mission. China and the Philippines blamed each other for that incident, adding to tensions in an area that has become a major flashpoint in the region. The Philippines has a mutual defence treaty with the United States.

Separately, Taiwan reported a standoff with a Chinese Coast Guard vessel near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands on Tuesday. Taiwan said it dispatched a coast guard ship to warn the Chinese vessel away, with both sides exchanging radio messages over their competing sovereignty claims.

The simultaneous maritime incidents underscore the growing security challenges facing the region. Although no direct military confrontation between China and the United States was reported in the Sabina Shoal incident, continued encounters involving military and coast guard vessels risk increasing tensions across the strategically important waterway.

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