The United States sent a destroyer through the South China Sea on July 13, infuriating China, which condemned the move as an attempt by the United States to “militarize” the region.
The USS Benfold sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands—which China calls the Xisha Islands—as part of the U.S. Navy’s “freedom of navigation operation,” the U.S. Indo–Pacific Command said in a statement.
“The operation reflects our commitment to uphold freedom of navigation and lawful uses of the sea as a principle. The U.S. will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Benfold did here,” it said….