United States has sent a navy warship near an artificial island in the disputed South China Sea as part of the first freedom of navigation operation under President Donald Trump.
A move likely to provoke Beijing. The guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey conducted a patrol within 20 kilometres of Mischeef Reef, part of the Spratly Islands over which several countries, including China, have competing claims. The exercise is the first since October.
Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said, we operate in the Asia-Pacific region on a daily basis, including in the South China Sea. We operate in accordance with international law.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea. But Taiwan, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam have rival claims over the region.
