Two US warships sail in disputed South China Sea

Two US warships sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Monday, the US military said, in a move that could anger Beijing at a time of tense relations between the world's two biggest economies.

The guided-missile destroyers USS Preble and USS Chung-Hoon passed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs, said Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet. The China-occupied features are part of the Spratly chain, which are also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Doss said that the "innocent passage" was "to challenge excessive maritime claims and preserve access to the waterways as governed by international law."

The South China Sea is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the US-China relationship, which also include a trade war, US sanctions and self-ruled Taiwan.

US President Donald Trump dramatically increased pressure on China to reach a trade deal by announcing on Sunday he would raise US tariffs on $200bn worth of Chinese goods this week and target hundreds of billions more soon.

The US military has a long-standing position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and that they are separate from political considerations.

“All operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” Doss said. The operation was first reported by Reuters.

China claims almost all of the strategic South China Sea and frequently lambastes the United States and its allies over naval operations near Chinese-occupied islands.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan have competing claims in the region.

China and the US have repeatedly traded barbs in the past over what Washington says is Beijing's militarisation of the South China Sea by building military installations on artificial islands and reefs.

The latest freedom of navigation operation comes weeks after a major naval parade marking 70 years since the founding of the Chinese navy. The US sent only a low-level delegation to the Chinese navy anniversary events.