The US navy plans to conduct another passage near disputed islands in the south china sea early this month, a source familiar with the plan said on Friday, the third in series of challenges that have drawn sharps rebukes from China.
The United States has conducted what it calls “freedom of navigation” exercises in recent months, sailing near disputed islands to underscore its right to navigate the seas. US navy officials have said they plan to conduct more and increasingly complex exercises in the future.
The USS Stennis Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the South China Sea.
Experts predict the next US challenge to the various claims in the South China Sea could occur near mischief reef, a feature claimed by the Philippines.
Mischief reef is now the site of one of three military-length airfields china has built on man-made islands in the Spratly islands archipelago. (Eagle News Service)