China Drives Dutch Frigate De Ruyter from Paracels
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- China's military said on May 27 it organized naval and air forces to drive away Dutch frigate De Ruyter, accusing it of illegally intruding into the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea
- PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson Zhai Shichen claimed carrier-based helicopters from the frigate repeatedly took off and 'intruded into China's airspace,' urging the Dutch side to cease 'infringing and provocative acts'
- The Netherlands countered that HNLMS De Ruyter was sailing through the South China Sea for diplomatic, security, and economic reasons in accordance with international law, declining to comment on operational details
- The Chinese accusation marks a 'relatively unusual public confrontation' with the Netherlands in the South China Sea, according to the source
- China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam
- In 2016 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled China's expansive claims were not supported by international law—a decision Beijing continues to reject
Why it matters: The Dutch transit through the Paracels—flagged by Reuters as a 'relatively unusual' public confrontation—shows even mid-sized European navies willing to directly contest Beijing's expansive South China Sea claims, the same claims a 2016 Hague tribunal already ruled legally baseless and which Beijing still rejects.
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