Navy warships will sail close to a second disputed Chinese island in the South China Sea soon in a further challenge to Beijing’s military buildup and maritime control, according to defense officials.
The next Navy operation in the sea will take place in several weeks near Mischief Reef in the Spratly island chain that is claimed by China, Philippines and other regional states, said officials familiar with the upcoming operation.
The maneuver also is expected to include two Navy warships that will conduct military operations within 12 miles of the reef, the officials said, as a way of stepping up the U.S. military presence in the disputed waterway.
A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment.
The reef is 150 miles from the Philippines, which has claimed it as its territory, despite the Chinese island dredging in the Spratlys and other parts of the sea.
Did you play the video to the very end? There you can learn that Chinese construction work has advanced “on six reefs in the Spratly Are-CHIP-a-LAH-go.”