October 21, 2026

In the early hours of Tuesday, the US littoral combat ship USS Charleston illegally intruded into the waters adjacent to Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao without approval from the Chinese government. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command Navy dispatched forces to track and monitor the US vessel in accordance with laws and regulations. A spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command Navy stated clearly that China holds indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao and its adjacent waters. The US' action infringes upon China's sovereign rights and interests, jeopardizes maritime security, and is detrimental to regional peace and stability. The US side should immediately cease such activities. 

Xianbin Jiao lies to the east of Ren'ai Jiao. In recent years the Philippines has continuously taken infringement actions in the direction of Xianbin Jiao, hyped up the so-called "environmental issue" at Xianbin Jiao and dispatched coast guard vessels to illegally linger in its lagoon. These various moves have failed under China's countermeasures. At this moment, the US sent a littoral combat ship to intrude in the early morning. The action was carefully designed. The US warship's early-morning "quick in, quick out" and the limited tonnage of a littoral combat ship themselves demonstrate that the priority of this performance was "risk control" rather than "deterrence effect."    

So-called "freedom of navigation" is a false proposition in the South China Sea. The US' "freedom of navigation operations" are by no means intended to safeguard genuine freedom of navigation. Fifty percent of the world's merchant ships and one-third of maritime trade pass through the South China Sea. No matter how complex the disputes, normal international commercial navigation in the South China Sea has never been obstructed. What has truly turned "freedom of navigation" into an issue is not the passage needs of merchant ships, but the close-in disruptive actions of warships carrying specific political intentions. 

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202610/1372750.shtml