US Navy calls false China’s claim it expelled American warship from Panatag Shoal 

‘FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION’ OPS The USS Higgins is one of the two American Navy vessels operating some 56 kilometers (30 nautical miles) off Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Wednesday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard which released this photo.

The United States Navy on Thursday denied China’s claim that the Chinese military expelled its guided missile destroyer USS Higgins from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal during the ship’s passage in the area.

Commander Megan Greene, the US’ 7th Fleet spokesperson, told the Inquirer that nothing untoward happened during the USS Higgins’ mission on Wednesday, or two days after two Chinese ships collided in the area while pursuing a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel.

Greene was reacting to remarks by Senior Captain He Tiecheng, spokesperson of the People’s Liberation Army-Southern Theater Command, who said the Chinese military “mobilized forces to monitor, issue warnings and expel” the US Navy ship.

“China’s statement about this mission is false,” Greene said in an email interview, adding that the USS Higgins conducted its freedom of navigation operations “in accordance with international law” before leaving the area and continuing operations in the South China Sea.

The USS Higgins, along with another US warship, USS Cincinnati, were sighted off Panatag after China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 3104 chased the PCG’s BRP Suluan in the area on Monday. While performing a risky maneuver, the CCG vessel collided with a Chinese navy warship that was badly damaged.

Greene said the USS Higgins’ mission affirmed Washington’s continued rejection of “unlawful restrictions” imposed by Beijing in the area.

Freedom of navigation

“The United States is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Higgins did here,” she said. “Nothing China says otherwise will deter us.”

Beijing rejects freedom of navigation in Panatag Shoal, which it claims as part of its territorial waters—despite the landmark 2016 Arbitral Award that declared the area a traditional fishing ground for the Philippines, China and Vietnam.

While the US deployed two warships near Panatag, Philippine military assets will not be directly involved in operations in the shoal for now, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said on Thursday.

Año said the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will still take the lead in law enforcement operations in the area.

“As much as possible, we don’t want to be the source of escalation,” he told reporters in a phone interview.

“We treat the area as a law enforcement function of PCG and BFAR, so we will continue to do that.” he said. “Our armed forces are ready to support our law enforcement agencies if needed.”

The Bilateral Consultation Mechanism of Manila and Beijing and other diplomatic means should also be utilized first, Año added.