A US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed through waters near the Paracel islands in the South China Sea, challenging China’s claim to the area, the Navy has said. The USS Barry undertook the so-called “freedom of navigation operation” on Tuesday, a week after Beijing upped its claims to the region by designating an official administrative district for the islands. The US sought to assert the “rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law,” the Navy said in a statement released Thursday in Manila.

Requejo, R. E. (2020, May 1). US warship tests ‘freedom’ at sea. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.