US Navy challenges China's control in South China Sea.
The US Navy's guided-missile destroyer, USS Milius, sailed near a Chinese manmade island in the South China Sea, prompting accusations from Beijing that the ship "illegally trespassed" in the area. The US Navy said the operation was a "freedom of navigation" exercise, demonstrating that vessels can lawfully exercise high-seas freedoms in those areas. China has built and militarized at least three islands in the area, including Mischief Reef, which the US admiral said last year was one of them. The US Navy's actions prompted criticism from China's military, which said the destroyer "illegally trespassed into the waters... without the approval of the Chinese government."