The disputed South China Sea is just one of a number of flashpoints in the US-China relationship, which also include a raging trade war, with Washington imposing new tariffs and Beijing responding with tit-for-tat measures last week, as well as the US blacklisting Huawei tech giant.
The US military said in a statement that the US guided-missile destroyer Preble had sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, claimed by China in the South China Sea.
« Preble sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Reef in order to challenge excessive maritime claims and preserve access to the waterways, as governed by international law, » Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet, told Reuters.
The US military operation was the second of this kind within the span of a month and the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate.
