US Navy(WASHINGTON) — Two U.S. guided missile destroyers sailed near disputed islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Monday, the U.S. Navy said in a statement.
The operation comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China over a possible trade deal.
While the Navy carries out freedom of navigation operations around the world, the ones directed at claims made by China draw the most attention with the last transit through the South China Sea occuring in February. By sailing within the international territorial limit of 12 nautical miles, the operations stress that the waters off the artificial islands are international waters.
China is one of several nations that claim reefs and islets in the South China Sea, but in recent years has militarized island chains. In 2018, China placed anti-ship cruise missiles and long-range surface-to-air missiles on the contested Spratly Islands, according to a recent Pentagon report.
“All operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows. That is true in the South China Sea as in other places around the globe,” Doss said, adding that freedom of navigation operations are “not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements.”
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