US warship sails in disputed South China Sea amid trade tensions

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/20/us-warship-sails-in-disputed-south-china-sea-amid-trade-tensions

US warship sails in disputed South China Sea amid trade tensions

Destroyer moved near Scarborough Reef to ‘challenge excessive maritime claims’, says commander of Seventh Fleet

Reuters

Mon 20 May 2019 05.30 BST

A US warship has sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal claimed by China in the South China Sea, a move likely to anger Beijing at a time of tense ties between the world’s two biggest economies.

The destroyer USS Preble carried out the operation on Sunday, a US military spokesman said. The busy waterway is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the US-China relationship, which also include a trade war, the blacklisting of tech company Huawei US sanctions and Taiwan.

“Preble sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Reef in order to challenge excessive maritime claims and preserve access to the waterways as governed by international law,” said Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet.
(snip)