A U.S. Navy destroyer was spotted operating near Chinese forces at Scarborough Shoal this week by a Philippine Coast Guard aerial patrol.
A Philippine Coast Guard maritime domain awareness patrol spotted Chinese and American warships operating in proximity to each other near Scarborough Shoal earlier this week in the South China Sea. The presence of Philippine, Chinese and American forces is the latest development around the contested maritime feature that has been the site of numerous incidents between Manila and Beijing.
While China Coast Guard cutters and People’s Liberation Army Navy warships frequently patrol around Scarborough Shoal to assert Beijing’s territorial claims, the presence of U.S. Navy warships in the vicinity has come in recent months following Beijing’s recent announcement that declared the maritime feature a national nature reserve. Manila has raised protests over the assertion, noting that the maritime feature lies within its exclusive economic zone. Philippine defense leadership has also raised concerns about the potential militarization of Scarborough Shoal, located only 120 nautical miles west of Luzon, the country’s largest and most populous island.
Philippine state media outlet People’s Television Network monitored numerous Chinese vessels operating at the maritime feature during an aerial patrol on Wednesday. Notable warships included the Type 054A frigate Dali (553) and Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Nanning (162), which reportedly challenged the Philippine patrol to depart the airspace. Several China Coast Guard cutters blocked entrances into the shoal. Beijing’s high-end surface combatants – a product of its massive naval modernization and expansion efforts – routinely deploy to Scarborough Shoal against Manila’s drastically smaller fleet.
An unspecified U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer was observed by the Philippine Coast Guard. A U.S. Navy spokesperson with 7th Fleet confirmed the identity of the vessel as USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), a forward-deployed Yokosuka-based destroyer. Rafael Peralta was “conducting routine operations in the South China Sea,” according to the 7th Fleet spokesperson.
In August, Washington deployed the USS Higgins (DDG 76) for the first freedom of navigation operation at Scarborough Shoal since 2019. The move came a week after a severe collision between Chinese vessels during their pursuit of a Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat, which marked one of the most severe incidents between Beijing and Manila at the disputed maritime feature to date. Littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) was also present in the vicinity during the operation, but did not directly participate. The service specified that the vessel was conducting routine operations.
Last month saw U.S. and Chinese forces surge throughout the South China Sea in response to each other’s presence in the region. At the beginning of November, forward-deployed B-1 bombers in Japan joined Philippine Air Force fighter jets for a joint aerial patrol over the South China Sea. By the end of the month, Washington deployed the Nimitz carrier strike group for a joint patrol with Philippine Navy and Coast Guard forces near Scarborough Shoal, which prompted Beijing to respond with an aerial patrol consisting of an H-6 bomber formation.
