PLA Southern Theatre Command says USS Higgins warned to leave site 2 days after reported collision in the area

China ‘Warns Off’ US Destroyer from
South China Sea’s Scarborough Shoal
Yuanyue Dangin/ Archive

BEIJING (August 13, 2025) — A US destroyer has entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, less than two days after an apparent collision involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and a PLA Navy ship while the former was pursuing a Philippine coastguard vessel in the area.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command said on Wednesday that the USS Higgins, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, had “illegally entered China’s territorial waters around Huangyan Island without the approval of the Chinese government”.

The PLA Navy “has tracked, monitored, and warned the vessel to leave”, the Southern Theatre Command said in a statement.

It also criticised the US military for “seriously violating China’s sovereignty and security, undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea, and violating international law and basic norms of international relations”.

The US destroyer entered the disputed waters near Scarborough Shoal, known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines or Huangyan Island in China, where the collision on Monday is said to have occurred.

Clashes involving Chinese and Philippine coastguard vessels in this area have increased in recent years.

Manila claimed that a Chinese coastguard vessel sustained severe damage to its bow after colliding with a larger PLA ship the Guilin, a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, while chasing a Philippine coastguard ship.

China has yet to confirm the collision. On Monday, Chinese coastguard spokesman Gan Yu mentioned only a move to expel the Philippine vessel.

China had taken necessary measures, including tracking, monitoring, intercepting and blocking, he said, adding that the actions were “professional, standardised, legitimate and legal.”

While the US military has increased its presence in the South China Sea in recent years, it is rare for its vessels to sail directly into the vicinity of the disputed islands in the strategic waterway.

The last time a similar action occurred was in 2022, when the PLA monitored the USS Benfold, another Arleigh Burke-class vessel, as it left the Paracels, known in China as the Xisha Islands, which are claimed by Beijing, Taipei and Hanoi.

The PLA described the USS Benfold’s transit as an example of the United States’ pursuit of “navigational hegemony”, while the US military emphasised that the action was “innocent”.

The US military has not confirmed the latest activities of the USS Higgins, which typically operates near the Taiwan Strait.

In October, the USS Higgins and a Canadian frigate together crossed a high seas corridor in the strait, one week after the PLA’s Joint Sword-2024B exercise that followed a speech by Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te which Beijing said promoted independence.

Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of Chinese territory and will use force if necessary to achieve reunification. Most countries, including the Philippines and the US, do not recognise the island as independent. However, Washington opposes any unilateral change to the status quo and has pledged to continue supplying arms to Taipei.

Amid the intense competition between China and the US, Manila has strengthened its defence alliance with Washington which has pledged to deploy advanced missile and drone systems in the Philippines.

Manila has also been improving its relations with Taipei, further damaging its ties with Beijing.

After Monday’s incident, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said he would “never instruct any of our vessels to back out”.

“We will continue to be present. We will continue to defend our territory. We will continue to exercise our sovereign rights. And, despite any opposition from anyone, we will continue to do that as we have done in the past three years,” he said.

Last week, Beijing warned Manila to stop “playing with fire” after Marcos said on a trip to India that his country would “have to get involved” if a China-US conflict arose in the Taiwan Strait.