The US Navy has sailed the ‘USS John S. McCain’ past an island in the disputed Spratly chain in the South China Sea, US officials told media. It’s the third mission to challenge China’s claim on the territory under the Trump administration.
The so-called “freedom of navigation” mission involved the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer sailing within the 12-mile range of an artificial island reclaimed by China, Reuters reported, citing US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A Navy official confirmed the operation to Fox News, saying that a US Navy P-8 reconnaissance plane flew nearby to monitor the operation, but stayed outside of the airspace claimed by China.
It was the third mission of this kind since May, when the ‘USS Dewey’ sailed by Mischief Reef, marking a continuation of such operations under the Trump administration. In July, the ‘USS Stethem’ passed near another island in the South China Sea claimed by Beijing as its territory and contested by Taiwan and Vietnam.
China is tangled in a web of territorial disputes in the South China Sea with five other regional nations, which also include Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.
