Exclusive: U.S. Warship Sails Near Disputed South China Sea Island, Officials Say - The New York Times
▻https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/03/23/world/asia/23reuters-usa-china-southchinasea.html
Guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG-89) transits the Philippine Sea on March 14, 2018.
US Navy photo.
A U.S. Navy destroyer carried out a “#freedom_of_navigation ” operation on Friday, coming within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials told Reuters.
The operation, which infuriated Beijing, was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as China’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the destroyer _Mustin traveled close to #Mischief_Reef in the #Spratly Islands and carried out maneuvering operations. China has territorial disputes with its neighbors over the area.