US denies China’s claim of expelling USS Higgins from Scarborough The United States Navy on Thursday denied Chinese claims that it warned and expelled the guided missile destroyer USS Higgins during its mission off Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

A tense showdown erupts in the South China Sea as a U.S. warship is aggressively confronted and forced to retreat by the Chinese Navy. The high-stakes maritime clash underscores the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing,

The U.S. deployed two warships Wednesday to a disputed South China Sea shoal where two Chinese ships collided earlier in the week while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine ship in a high-seas incident that raised alarms about maritime safety.