Challenge

In this March 30, 2016 US Navy handout photo, the guided missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) transits the Philippine Sea. The US on May 10, 2016, sailed a warship close to a disputed South China Sea reef Beijing has built up into an artificial island, officials said, prompting China to express ‘dissatisfaction and opposition.’ Guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence navigated within 12 nautical miles of the Fiery Cross Reef, occupied by China and also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines, the Pentagon said. ‘This operation challenged attempts by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights around the features they claim,’ Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said in a statement.  AFP