Southern Theater Command Issues Electronic Interference Warning to Dutch Intruding Naval Aircraft, Experts: Quite Restraint Shown

[Global Times - Global Network Report by reporter Guo Yuandan] On the 27th, Colonel Zhai Shichen, spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command, stated that on that day, the Dutch Navy frigate "De Ruyter" illegally intruded into China's Xisha Islands, with its onboard helicopters repeatedly entering Chinese airspace. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to take necessary measures in accordance with the law and regulations, including verbal warnings and electronic countermeasures, to drive the foreign vessel away. Experts interviewed by the Global Times indicated that the PLA's proactive response and the public announcement of specific countermeasures against the Netherlands' illegal intrusion into Chinese airspace not only avoided the tactic of foreign military complaints but also demonstrated the legitimacy, necessity, and restraint of the PLA's actions.

"Currently, the PLA's timely public response to foreign military provocations has become a norm. However, the information revealed by the Southern Theater Command spokesperson indicates that the Dutch actions are extremely egregious, especially the repeated incursions of the Dutch vessel's onboard helicopters into our airspace, making any measures taken by the PLA legal and reasonable," military expert Zhang Junsha stated on the 27th in an interview with the Global Times.

According to a report by the Philippine News Agency on the 22nd, the Dutch Navy frigate "De Ruyter" visited Manila that day, starting a three-day visit. This visit to the Philippines is part of the Royal Netherlands Navy's five-month "Pacific Shooter" overseas deployment mission. During its visit to the Philippines, the ship conducted several joint exercises with the Philippine Navy, including communication drills and maneuver exercises. After concluding its stop in Manila, the "De Ruyter" will also participate in the so-called "2026 Rim of the Pacific Military Exercise," which will be held from June 24 to July 31 in the Hawaiian Islands and surrounding waters, with participation from 31 countries, including the Philippines.

"This clearly indicates that the 'De Ruyter' is deliberately detouring to the Xisha Islands to carry out provocative actions on its way to the Hawaiian Islands, openly violating China's sovereignty. The ship and its onboard helicopters illegally intruded into our territorial waters and airspace, with obvious reconnaissance intentions, seriously violating international law and the basic principles of international relations, and deliberately disrupting the stability of the South China Sea situation," Zhang Junsha stated.

On the 26th, the think tank "South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative" released a report on the military activities of extraterritorial countries such as the UK, France, Canada, and Australia in the Western Pacific for 2025. The head of the think tank, Hu Bo, stated at the press conference that extraterritorial countries outside the United States are not very clear about the bottom lines and red lines of many sensitive areas and related countries in the Western Pacific, leading to more aggressive behavior and thus more easily triggering incidents of misfire.

In an interview with a Global Times reporter, he further analyzed that the activities of some Western countries, including the Netherlands, in the Western Pacific do not pose substantial military threats to countries in the region, but at the tactical and operational levels, these "demonstrative, attention-seeking" military actions can sometimes be very crude and unprofessional. For example, Australia's previous incursion into our Xisha Islands was very provocative, with naval and air forces directly entering our airspace. In response to such actions, the PLA is bound to respond, "Any country's military would take countermeasures."

It is worth mentioning that the Southern Theater Command spokesperson explicitly announced that we have taken countermeasures such as verbal warnings and electronic interference, highlighting the legality and compliance of our actions.

"When foreign military aircraft intrude into another country's airspace, stronger measures can be taken according to relevant guidelines, including verbal warnings, forced expulsion, electronic interference, warning shots, and even direct shooting down," Zhang Junsha explained. The warning electronic interference used by China this time mainly falls into two categories: passive and active. Passive interference disrupts radar signals through the deployment of materials such as foil strips, disturbing reconnaissance and provocative activities. Active interference uses electronic devices to emit electromagnetic waves to disrupt and suppress the opponent's radar reconnaissance systems.

This military expert further stated that the Dutch frigate "De Ruyter," with its onboard helicopters, intruding into China's Xisha territorial waters and airspace is by no means a so-called "freedom of navigation," but rather a serious infringement of China's territorial sovereignty and a deliberate provocation. In response to this provocative behavior, China has taken measures such as verbal warnings and electronic interference, which are both necessary and legitimate, and the overall response has maintained a high degree of restraint. "If the Dutch side continues to escalate provocative actions, the Chinese military will definitely take more severe countermeasures, including warning shots, to resolutely defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime and air security," Zhang Junsha stated.

Southern Theater Command spokesperson Zhai Shichen also stated in an official report that the Dutch actions seriously infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime and air security, seriously violate international law and the basic principles of international relations, and severely undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea, which is likely to lead to misunderstandings and misjudgments. "We firmly oppose this and warn the Dutch side to immediately stop its infringing and provocative actions. The theater forces remain on high alert at all times to resolutely defend national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability."