China Claims It ‘Expelled’ U.S. Warship Sailing Near Disputed Islands

The U.S. Navy announced on Tuesday that the USS Montgomery, an advanced littoral combat ship, sailed near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Saturday to “assert navigational rights and freedoms consistent with international law.” It was the first Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) of 2020.

USNI News described the USS Montgomery as an “Independence-variant LCS.” The Independence class of littoral combat vessels are fast, highly maneuverable, and difficult to detect with surface radar. The $360 million ships are adaptable to a variety of missions, from air defense to anti-submarine warfare. They are easily recognized by their distinctive stealthy trimaran hull design, which resembles a spaceship as much as it does a naval vessel. Only a few ships in the Montgomery’s class are currently in operation. 

China, which constantly objects to American FONOPs in the South China Sea, claimed its air and naval forces acted to “expel” the Montgomery and denounced its passage as an “intentional provocation” with “ulterior motives.” 

The U.S. Navy reported no hostile encounters during the FONOP. The Chinese military statement later appeared to clarify “expelling” the Montgomery as flying a pair of armed fighter-bombers on an alert patrol in its general vicinity.

The Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) added some grousing about the U.S. transgressing in waters claimed by China during a Chinese holiday, the Spring Festival. China frequently expresses annoyance at U.S. FONOPs that coincide with Chinese holiday celebrations.

A spokesman for the Southern Theater Command said the Montgomery’s “intentional provocation during Spring Festival was done with ulterior motives, and is a flagrant attempt at navigation hegemony.”

The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said the warship’s passage “asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the Spratly Islands, consistent with international law” and was intended to uphold “the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea.”

The Navy added that it challenged “restrictions on innocent passage” imposed by all powers pressing claims in the South China Sea, including Vietnam and Taiwan, which require foreign ships to request permission in advance before sailing through the waters they claim. Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines also have claims in the South China Sea.

“The unilateral imposition of any authorization or notification requirement for innocent passage is not permitted by international law, so the United States challenged these requirements,” said the 7th Fleet. 

“By engaging in innocent passage without giving notification or asking for permission, the United States challenged the unlawful restrictions imposed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. The United States demonstrated that innocent passage may not be subject to such restrictions,” the statement said.