USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) transits the Philippine Sea, on March 24, 2020. US Navy Photo
Newsweek: Navy Sends Second Ship Into Disputed Waters After China Claims It Scrambled Jets to Expel U.S. Destroyer
A U.S. Navy sailed a second ship through the South China Seas this week, further challenging Beijing's claim to the disputed waters after the People's Liberation Army (PLA) claimed that it expelled the first ship amid escalating tensions over the disputed region and the global pandemic.
The USS Barry carried out the "freedom of navigation operation" on Tuesday, the Navy said in a statement to Newsweek. Their mission was to maintain the "rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law."
"Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose an unprecedented threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight and the right of innocent passage of all ships," the Navy said.
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Update #1: US Navy ship sails through Chinese-claimed waters in South China Sea -- AFP
Update #2: USS Bunker Hill Conducts 2nd South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Operation This Week -- USNI News
WNU Editor: China meanwhile is boasting that it chased the USS Barry out of their territory in the South China Sea’s Paracel Island chain on Tuesday .... China claims it chased off a US Navy ship from contested waters in the South China Sea (War Is Boring).