A United States Navy warship sailed by islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Wednesday, February 17, in a freedom of navigation operation, marking the latest move by Washington to challenge Beijing’s territorial claims in the contested waters. The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said destroyer USS Russell “asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the Spratly Islands, consistent with international law.”

US ship sails in South China Sea by China-claimed islands. (2021, February 18). Panay New, p. 5.