Another US Warship Sails Through Disputed South China Sea Amid Rising Tensions

The U.S. navy again sailed a warship close to the disputed islands in the South China Sea, which is claimed by China and other nations around them, the U.S. military said.

In a move that is set to escalate tensions between Beijing and Washington the destroyer Wayne E. Meyer sailed through the disputed waters of the South China Sea. According to reports Tuesday, China had rejected permission for the U.S. navy ship to visit the port of Qingdao.

The Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) is an Alreigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer and carries the AEGIS weapon system.

This operation is sure to anger China as it comes amid growing tensions between the two countries which are also locked in an intense trade war. The disputed sea and strait are one of the many flashpoints that exist between the two nations, and recent American statements on Chinese aggressiveness and a $8 billion arms sale to Taiwan have raised the temperature much higher already.

Commander Reann Mommsen, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, told Reuters the Wayne E. Meyer traveled within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross and Mischief Reefs. The operation was carried out to counter the maritime claims put forth by China in international waters, and “preserve access to the waterways as governed by international law.”

“U.S. Forces operate in the Indo-Pacific region on a daily basis, including in the South China Sea. All operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” she said.

This is the third time this month the United States has carried out similar operations, with the USS Green Bay, an amphibious transport dock ship, sailing through Taiwan strait last week and the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan sailing through the South China sea to the port of Manila.

The U.S military reiterated its non-political stand, saying that such operations are carried out throughout the world by them, including in areas governed by allies. However, the U.S. has questioned China’s militarisation of the disputed area through which trade worth $5 trillion passes every year.