China expels US destroyer from disputed islands, US Navy denies it
China, August 14, 2025 – Chinese forces have expelled the US destroyer USS Higgins from the disputed Huangyan Island area, China Central Television reported, citing the Southern Combat Command of the People’s Liberation Army. It said that on August 13, the US ship entered the territorial waters under China’s jurisdiction without permission. The statement said that the naval forces had taken steps to escort, monitor, warn and remove the vessel in accordance with applicable legal norms. Representatives of the Southern Combat Command of the PLA stressed that such actions by the United States pose a serious threat to China’s sovereignty and security, destabilize the situation in the South China Sea and violate international law.
The US Navy is trying to deny that the Chinese People’s Army expelled a US warship from disputed waters in the South China Sea. Navy officials are disputing China’s claim that it forced the US warship to leave the disputed area. According to USNI News, the Americans claim that the Chinese authorities’ statement about the incident in the disputed waters is false and that the US Navy does not intend to question its right to be where it is allowed by current norms of international law. China’s press service, in turn, said that the incident occurred during the pursuit of a Philippine Coast Guard ship by a Chinese Navy ship.
Philippine sailors regularly conduct exercises in the South China Sea, presumably in preparation for further joint naval maneuvers with the Americans. Tensions remain in the disputed South China Sea. And although there have been no major clashes between the parties recently, various incidents involving ships of China, the Philippines and the US Navy regularly occur. At the same time, the main activity of the Americans and their regional allies is observed near the disputed islands. Since neither Beijing nor Manila intends to give up their claims to the South China Sea, and diplomatically the parties manage to resolve only minor issues related to the dispute, the conflict will continue to slowly simmer. The situation is significantly aggravated by the constant presence of US Navy ships in the region.
Erik Simon
