China’s military said on Tuesday it had sent forces to track and monitor the USS Charleston, which the Southern Theatre Command said entered waters adjacent to Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands in the early hours without Chinese government approval, and it called on the United States to cease such activities. A Philippine military spokesperson said the US ship did not trespass into Chinese territory and that no nation has authority to require prior permission for lawful transit through international waters, and Reuters reported the US Navy’s last known freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea was more than a year ago. Further north, Taiwan’s Coast Guard said a Chinese coast guard ship entered restricted waters near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands on Tuesday and that a standoff, with both ships broadcasting claims of sovereignty, was continuing.
China tracks US warship near Sabina Shoal, Taiwan reports standoff
China's Southern Theatre Command said it dispatched forces on Tuesday to track the USS Charleston near Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands, calling the transit an illegal intrusion, while Taiwan's Coast Guard reported a continuing standoff with a Chinese coast guard ship near the Pratas Islands.
Why it matters: The US Navy's last known freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea was more than a year ago, so the transit resumes a practice Beijing says infringes its sovereignty and Manila says is lawful transit through international waters.
Data as of Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 10:14 ET. Developing item, single-sourced: the transit, the Southern Theatre Command statement and the Pratas standoff are from the Reuters report of October 20, 2026, via gCaptain, read in full. The US Navy had not responded to a request for comment in that report. Beijing's description of the transit as illegal is China's characterization; a Philippine military spokesperson said in the same report that the ship did not trespass and that no nation may require prior permission for lawful transit.
Sources
- China Sends Naval Forces to Monitor US Warship Near Disputed Shoal - Reuters, via gCaptain - 2026-10-20