The United States Navy sent two warships – the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam – sailing within 22 kilometers of the Paracel islands in the northern part of the South China Sea (SCS) last Saturday. They maneuvered near the islands of Tree, Lincoln, Triton, and Woody, as part of their international operation to assert “freedom of navigation” in international waters. Only a few weeks ago, Woody island was in the news as the site of a heavy Chinese military buildup – the installation of missiles with a range of 545 kilometers.

US continues to send warships to SCS. (2018, June 1). Manila Bulletin, p. 10.