According to the notification from the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army, the Dutch Royal Navy frigate “HNLMS De Ruyter” sailed into the disputed waters of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea on Wednesday (May 27), during which it repeatedly launched shipborne helicopters into the air. The Southern Theater Command claimed to have used electronic interference measures to drive it away. According to previous Dutch announcements, the ship was carrying out the “Pacific Archer” mission in the Indo-Pacific region, symbolizing the Netherlands’ commitment to freedom of navigation.
The PLA Southern Theater Command’s WeChat public account released a press release on Wednesday evening, with spokesperson Zhang Shichen claiming that on that day, the Dutch Royal Navy frigate “HNLMS De Ruyter” had “illegally intruded into the Xisha Islands of China,” and the shipborne helicopters had “entered our country’s airspace” multiple times.
Zhang Shichen stated that the Southern Theater Command organized maritime and air forces and took necessary measures such as verbal warnings and warning electronic interference in accordance with the law and regulations to forcibly repel the intruder.
He claimed that the Dutch actions “seriously violated China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime security, grossly violated international law and basic norms of international relations, seriously undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea, and could easily lead to misunderstandings and misjudgments.” China strongly opposes this and warns the Dutch side to immediately stop its provocative actions infringing on China’s rights.
As of now, the Dutch Royal Navy has not issued any statements regarding today’s actions.
According to a post on the Dutch Royal Navy’s Facebook page, prior to this incident, the “HNLMS De Ruyter” arrived in the Philippines on May 22 for a 3-day visit.
The Dutch Embassy in the Philippines stated on May 23 that this visit was part of the deployment operation under the codename “Pacific Archer,” a planned mission focusing on the Indo-Pacific region. This mission symbolizes the Netherlands’ continued commitment to maritime security, freedom of navigation, and deepening partnerships with regional allies including the Philippines.
(Translated and rephrased from a source)