The United States sent a destroyer through the disputed South China Sea on July 13, infuriating China, which condemned the move as an attempt from the United States to “militarize” the region.
The USS Benfold was sailing 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….