China says its navy tracked a US warship near disputed Sabina Shoal

As of 7:25 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

China's military said Tuesday that it sent forces to track and monitor a US Navy ship that it said entered waters near Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea without the Chinese government's approval, Reuters reported.

The Chinese military's Southern Theater Command said the USS Charleston "illegally intruded" into waters adjacent to Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands in the early hours of Oct. 20, according to Reuters. "The US action infringes upon China’s sovereign rights and interests, jeopardises maritime security, and is detrimental to regional peace and stability," the command said in a statement, Reuters reported. "The US side should immediately cease such activities."

The statement, from a spokesperson for the command's navy, was posted on the command's WeChat account and carried by China Military Online. It said China "holds indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands, which China calls the Nansha Islands, and their adjacent waters, according to an English version carried by China's state broadcaster CGTN. The command's forces "remain on high alert," the spokesperson said, according to CGTN.

The US Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.

A Philippine military spokesperson said the US ship "did not trespass into ‘Chinese territory’" and that no nation had the authority to require prior permission for "lawful transit through international waters," according to Reuters.

China and the Philippines both claim Sabina Shoal and the entire Spratly Islands archipelago, Reuters reported. In September, a China Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine boat on a refueling mission near the same shoal, according to the Philippine Coast Guard, and China blamed the Philippine side for the collision, Reuters reported.