The US navy initiates freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in a high-stakes effort to push back against Chinese territorial claims over artificial islands in the disputed waters.
In a move that has enraged Beijing, the USS Lassen, a guided-missile destroyer has sailed inside the 12-nautical mile zones of two man-made islands — Subi and Mischief reefs — that China has built in the contested Spratly Island chain. A senior US defence official said that it would sail through the area. China has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate any effort to violate what it considers its territory. A senior Chinese naval officer said the People’s Liberation Army would hand a “head-on blow” to any foreign forces that violated Chinese sovereignty. His comments came after the Financial Times reported that the US was poised to launch its operations. The manoeuvre marks the first time since 2012 that the US navy has sailed through the 12-nautical mile zone surrounding any islands claimed by China.