China, US clash over passage of USS 'Higgins'

China's military said yesterday it monitored and “drove away” a US destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, while the US Navy said its action was in line with international law.

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The first known US military operation in at least six years within the shoal’s waters came a day after the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of “dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference” during a supply mission around the atoll.

In a statement, the Chinese military's Southern Theatre Command said the USS Higgins had entered the waters “without approval of the Chinese government” yesterday.

“The US move seriously violated China's sovereignty and security, severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea,” it added, vowing to keep a “high alert at all times’.