In first under Trump, US warship challenges Beijing's claims in South China Sea
WASHINGTON - A US Navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, US officials said on Wednesday, the first such challenge to Beijing in the strategic waterway since US President Donald Trump took office.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the USS Dewey traveled close to the Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.
China said its warships had warned the US ship and it lodged "stern representations" with the United States. China said it remained resolutely opposed to so-called freedom of navigation operations.
