The USS Preble (DDG 88), a United States Navy destroyer, conducted operations near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea to assert navigational rights and freedoms in compliance with international law.
In a statement released Friday, the U.S. Navy said the passage by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer was a direct challenge to restrictions on “innocent passage” imposed by claimants China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
The Navy emphasized that requiring authorization or advance notification for such passages is “unlawful” under international law.
The Spratly Islands remain a hotly contested region, with multiple nations claiming sovereignty over the area, making such freedom of navigation operations a point of tension.