The confrontation unfolded near the Paracel Islands, a strategically important archipelago of some 130 islands that Beijing seized from Vietnam in the 1970s and now controls through a network of military outposts and surveillance capabilities. China strictly controls travel to the region, and individual or commercial vessels are not allowed in the islands’ territorial waters.
The Dutch Defense Ministry disputed Beijing’s account, telling POLITICO that HNLMS De Ruyter was operating “in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
The ministry said the frigate is sailing through the South China Sea and making port calls across the region “to strengthen diplomatic, security and economic ties” with partner countries.
It declined to comment further on “operational details.”
The incident follows another encounter last week near the Philippines, when the Dutch frigate’s commander said a Chinese military helicopter briefly approached the vessel before peeling away. “They asked who we were and we replied, and that was enough,” Commander Rodger de Wit told a local newspaper.
The Netherlands has become increasingly active in the Indo-Pacific in recent years, sending warships through the South China Sea as part of a broader push to deepen security ties in the region. In 2021, the frigate HNLMS Evertsen sailed through the region alongside the British carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth and in 2024, HNLMS Tromp held exercises with U.S. Navy ships in the contested waters.
China claims most of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 arbitration ruling in The Hague finding Beijing’s sweeping claims had no legal basis under international law — a decision China rejects.