PLA uses warning electronic jamming against consecutive intrusions of Dutch warship, aircraft in Xisha Islands; expert says move considered restrained
A Dutch frigate, De Ruyter, on Wednesday illegally intruded into China's Xisha Islands waters, and repeatedly launched its shipborne helicopter to violate China's territorial airspace, said Senior Captain Zhai Shichen, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, according to the WeChat account of the Command on Wednesday. The Southern Theater Command deployed maritime and air forces and took necessary measures including verbal warnings and warning electronic jamming in accordance with laws and regulations to expel the vessel. A military affair expert told the Global Times that the measures taken by the Chinese side are both necessary and justified, and have demonstrated a high degree of restraint.
The Command said that the Dutch side's actions seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty, maritime and air security, contravened international law and basic norms governing international relations, and undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea, which may easily lead to miscalculations. "We express firm opposition to such acts and warn the Dutch side to immediately stop its infringement and provocation. The Theater Command will maintain a high state of alert at all times and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and regional peace and stability," the spokesperson said.
The PLA's timely and public responses to provocative actions by foreign militaries have become routine. However, the information conveyed in this statement by the Southern Theater Command's spokesperson indicates that the Dutch actions were particularly egregious, especially the Dutch vessel's repeated launch of its shipborne helicopter that intruded into China's territorial airspace. Any measures taken by the PLA are lawful and justified, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Dutch Navy warship HNLMS De Ruyter is in Manila for a three-day goodwill visit as part of the Netherlands’ intensified efforts to “strengthen maritime partnerships with countries in the “Indo-Pacific,” Philippine News Agency claimed on May 22.
The HNLMS De Ruyter is set to participate in various interoperability activities, including communication and maneuvering exercises with the Philippine Navy, claimed the report.
The report also claimed that the Dutch frigate’s visit forms part of the Royal Netherlands Navy’s five-month Pacific Archer deployment mission, which aims to promote freedom of navigation and maritime security in the “Indo-Pacific.” After its Manila port call, HNLMS De Ruyter will join the 2026 Rim of the Pacific Exercise, which will bring together 31 nations, including the Philippines, in and around the Hawaiian Islands from June 24 to July 31.
This makes it abundantly clear that the HNLMS De Ruyter deliberately detoured to China's Xisha Islands on its way from the Philippines to the Hawaiian Islands to carry out provocative actions, brazenly infringing on China's sovereignty. The vessel and its shipborne helicopter illegally intruded into China's territorial waters and airspace with clear reconnaissance and probing intent, seriously violating international law and basic norms governing international relations, and deliberately disturbing the stability of the South China Sea situation, Zhang said.
Unlike previous practices, the PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson this time explicitly disclosed countermeasures such as verbal warnings and warning electronic jamming, demonstrating the legality and compliance of China's actions.
Zhang said that the Dutch missile frigate HNLMS De Ruyter, along with its shipborne helicopter, intruded into China's Xisha territorial waters and territorial airspace. This action is by no means so-called “freedom of navigation.” Rather, it constitutes a serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty and a deliberate provocation. In response, China adopted measures including verbal warnings and warning electronic jamming, measures that are both necessary and justified, with an overall response that has shown considerable restraint.
The warning electronic jamming deployed by the PLA in this case is generally divided into two types: passive and active. Passive jamming involves deploying chaff and other materials to interfere with radar signals, disrupting the opposition’s reconnaissance and provocative activities. Active jamming uses electronic equipment to emit electromagnetic waves to interfere with and suppress the opposition’s radar reconnaissance systems, Zhang explained.
If the Dutch side continues to escalate its provocative actions, the Chinese military might take even more powerful countermeasures, including warning shots, to resolutely defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime and air security, the expert added.
On Tuesday, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) released the "Report on the Military Activities of Non-US Extra-Regional Countries in the Western Pacific in 2025." At the press conference, Hu Bo, Director of the SCSPI, noted that extra-regional countries other than the US often lack a clear understanding of the red lines and bottom lines of many sensitive areas and the countries concerned in the Western Pacific, making their behavior more aggressive and thus more likely to trigger miscalculations or even armed clashes.