US Navy Challenges Beijing in South China Sea Amid Taiwan Drills
- Warship conducts freedom of navigation operation near Spratlys
- Move comes as US set to hold military drills with Philippines
Source: US Navy
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A US Navy destroyer passed through waters claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea in a show of force that comes as the nation’s military holds drills around Taiwan.
The USS Milius guided missile destroyer conducted “freedom of navigation” operations Monday in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands, the US Seventh Fleet said in a statement. The ship sailed within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of Mischief Reef, where China has its largest outpost on artificial islands in the South China Sea and the closest to Philippine territory.