CAMP AGUINALDO, QUEZON CITY — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) dismissed Beijing’s objections regarding the passage of a United States Navy littoral combat ship near Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, asserting that transit through international waters requires no prior authorization.
The Chinese military earlier protested the movement of the USS Charleston (LCS 18) through the area, accusing the vessel of entering waters claimed by Beijing without formal permission. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command Navy reported deploying forces to track and shadow the American warship during its transit.
Reacting to the development, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, rejected the Chinese military’s narrative and emphasized that the deployment complied fully with global maritime standards.
“USS Charleston did not trespass into ‘Chinese territory,’” Trinidad said.
He added that freedom of navigation operations carried out by treaty allies and partner nations remain fully aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which protects navigation and overflight rights across high seas and exclusive economic zones.
“Furthermore, no single nation has the authority to require prior permission for lawful transit through international waters,” Trinidad stated.
The PLA Southern Theater Command previously claimed that Beijing maintains indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and adjacent waters, branding the US operation a threat to regional stability.
In response, the Philippine military criticized Beijing’s expansive maritime boundaries, noting that the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling already invalidated such sweeping historical claims.
“On the other hand, the Chinese Communist Party’s claim of ‘indisputable sovereignty’ over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters has no legal basis,” Trinidad said.
“This claim has been invalidated by the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal. Rather than calling for lawful operations to cease, it is their illegal presence, coercive and aggressive actions and deceptive messaging that should stop.”