Defense

US Navy sails through South China Sea, defying China’s new maritime rules

By Mike Brest
Published September 9, 2021 8:15pm ET
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US Navy sails through South China Sea, defying China’s new maritime rules
In this May 3, 2019 photo released by the U.S. Navy, An F/A-18E Super Hornet from VFA 25 launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. | (Michael Singley/AP)

The U.S. Navy defied China’s new maritime rules when a destroyer sailed through the South China Sea.

The USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, sailed around the Spratly Islands in a way “consistent with international law,” according to a statement released by 7th Fleet Public Affairs on Wednesday, though the vessel violated China’s newly implemented maritime policy.

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China Navy South China Sea