US Navy Challenges China’s Claim Over Scarborough Shoal in South China Sea FONOP

A United States Navy guided-missile destroyer conducted a Freedom of Navigation operation (FONOP) in close proximity to the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday. This action followed an incident two days prior where two Chinese military vessels collided while pursuing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in adjacent waters.

The U.S. Navy’s presence in the region elicited accusations from China’s military that the U.S. was encroaching on its territorial sovereignty. However, the U.S. Navy maintained its right to navigate in the area, stating, “USS Higgins (DDG 76) upheld navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near Scarborough Reef, consistent with international law.”

Scarborough Shoal is contested by China, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Situated approximately 222 kilometers west of Luzon’s main Philippine island, the shoal falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. According to reports, China maintains a persistent presence near the uninhabited shoal, despite international laws that guarantee the right of “innocent passage” for foreign warships.

China and Taiwan both require advance notification for passage through territorial waters surrounding Scarborough Reef, a requirement violated by international law as per U.S. Navy 7th Fleet spokesperson Lt. Sarah Merrill. The Philippines does not enforce this requirement.

Merrill contested earlier claims by China’s Southern Theater Command that they organized their forces to “track, monitor, warn, and expel” the USS Higgins due to its alleged violation of Chinese territorial sovereignty, stating that China’s statement regarding the mission was false.

The U.S. stands firm in its commitment to uphold its right to operate freely wherever international law allows. Merrill noted that “The United States is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Higgins did here. Nothing China says otherwise will deter us.”

Additionally, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that another U.S. warship, the littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati, was also present in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday. The presence of both vessels marks the first FONOP near Scarborough Shoal in over six years and the second such operation in 2025.

Tensions around Scarborough Shoal, a region rich in fishing resources, have escalated as China strengthens its claims to sovereignty over much of the South China Sea while Manila asserts its stance. Incidents like Monday’s collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels have further increased tensions in the area.

Following the collision, a state-run Global Times report placed blame for the incident on the Philippines and, indirectly, its defense treaty ally, the U.S. The report alleged that the Philippine Coast Guard vessel made dangerous maneuvers in front of the Chinese Coast Guard ship without mentioning the presence of the Chinese destroyer.

Former US Navy captain Carl Schuster, who reviewed the Global Times video for CNN, stated that the Chinese ship, as the overtaking vessel, would be responsible for signaling its intentions to the Philippine vessel. “There is no evidence they did so and the Philippine Coast Guard vessel is under no obligation to heave to,” or yield, Schuster said.

The Global Times article quoted Yang Xiao, an expert on maritime issues at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, who pointed the finger of blame at the U.S. military for training its Philippine ally in gray-zone tactics, actions below the level of open warfare but employing more than diplomacy or negotiations. Yang claimed these tactics violate “internationally accepted norms of maritime law enforcement” and could lead to increased risks of conflict at sea.