US warship sails close to man-made island in South China Sea, aims to challenge Beijing's territorial claim

Manila: A Navy official says a US warship has sailed close to a Chinese man-made island in a freedom of navigation operation in the disputed South China Sea. [caption id=“attachment_2494780” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP [/caption] The official tells The Associated Press that Chinese vessels were in the vicinity when the USS John S McCain sailed near the Mischief Reef on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if the Chinese challenged the Americans and asked the US destroyer to leave as they have done in the past. Filipino security official says the Philippine military was notified by US officials of the operation aimed at challenging China’s territorial claims in the disputed waters but added that Philippine forces were not involved. China has protested such US military manoeuvres, which President Donald Trump’s administration has continued.