AFP rejects China's claim of US warship intrusion

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday, 21 October, rejected China's claim that a US Navy warship had illegally entered Chinese territory near Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.

In a statement provided to DAILY TRIBUNE, AFP special spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad disputed the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) account of the USS Charleston's passage.

"USS Charleston did not trespass into 'Chinese territory,'" the AFP said.

The military maintained that freedom of navigation operations by the United States and other countries are consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"Furthermore, no single nation has the authority to require prior permission for lawful transit through international waters," it added.

The statement followed a PLA announcement accusing the USS Charleston, a littoral combat ship, of illegally entering waters near Xianbin Jiao, China's name for Sabina Shoal.

The AFP also rejected Beijing's assertion of indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and their surrounding waters.

It cited the 2016 arbitral ruling, which rejected the legal basis for China's sweeping historic-rights claims in the South China Sea.

"Rather than calling for lawful operations to cease, it is their illegal presence, coercive and aggressive actions and deceptive messaging that should stop," the AFP said.

The military's response came as Philippine authorities reported monitoring 31 Chinese military and other vessels from 13 to 19 October.

The AFP reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the country's sovereignty, sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction while supporting lawful navigation under international law.