US Navy warships again challenge Beijing’s cases in South China Sea
The United States cruised two warships near questioned islands in the South China Sea on Monday (Sunday night, ET), a move that will undoubtedly get under the ire of Beijing.
The guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance and USS Preble cruised inside 12 nautical miles of the Spratly Islands as a feature of what the US Navy calls a "freedom of navigation operation."
The operation was carried out "to challenge excessive maritime claims and preserve access to the waterways as governed by international law," Cmdr. Clay Doss, a representative for the US Navy's seventh Fleet, told CNN.
"All operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows," Doss stated, including "that is true...