US deploys two warships near Scarborough Shoal amid Chinese tensions

The United States has dispatched two warships near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, as tensions flare over a series of confrontations between Chinese vessels and Philippine ships in the contested waters. The ships, a guided-missile destroyer and a littoral-combat ship, were shadowed by a Chinese navy vessel about 55 kilometers from Scarborough after a earlier incident in which Chinese authorities collided with a Philippine Coast Guard craft while trying to push a smaller Filipino vessel away. Philippine officials said the situation remained tense but that there were no immediate incidents during the U.S. presence, which comes amid long-standing disputes over sovereignty and access to the shoal.

The U.S. deployment follows a week of high-stakes exchanges in and around Scarborough Shoal, a key fishing ground off the northwestern Philippines and a frequent flashpoint in the broader South China Sea dispute. U.S. officials say freedom-of-navigation operations and overflights are a longstanding practice designed to uphold international law and the right of all states to lawful uses of the sea. Washington’s move followed strong statements condemning what it described as...