US Warship Challenged Beijing's South China Sea Claims, Navy Says
Published Jun 02, 2025 at 10:26 AM EDT
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Chinese Military Patrols Disputed Territory in South China Sea
By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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AUnited States destroyer recently conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, challenging claims by China and other countries, the Navy told Newsweek.
The U.S. naval operation took place near the Spratly Islands, a cluster of islands claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei. The U.S. Navy said the operation was specifically intended to challenge restrictions on passage by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Newsweek also reached out to the Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese defense ministries outside of normal business hours on Monday by email for comment.
Why It Matters
The U.S. military has been maintaining its presence in the South China Sea—where China's sovereignty claims overlap with those of other countries—to uphold lawful use of the sea and international airspace, including the rights of freedom of navigation and overflight.
The news of the recent U.S. freedom of navigation operation comes amid reports of a Chinese bomber deployment to a militarized island outpost in the Paracel Islands—located north of the Spratly Islands—and the return of an American aircraft carrier to the South China Sea.
What To Know
The U.S. Seventh Fleet—which maintains America's naval presence in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans—confirmed to Newsweek that on May 12, the destroyer USS Dewey asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands.
"This freedom of navigation operation upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized by international law by challenging restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam," the U.S. Seventh Fleet said in an email on Monday.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, "ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through [a] territorial sea." However, such passage must be conducted in a "continuous and expeditious" manner.
U.S. Destroyer Operates In South China Sea
The United States Navy destroyer USS Dewey conducts routine operations while transiting in the South China Sea on May 12, 2025. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Devin Monroe/U.S. Navy
The Dewey—part of the U.S. Seventh Fleet's principal surface force—left the "excessive claim area" and continued transiting in the South China Sea after completing its operation.
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Meanwhile, a set of photos released by the U.S. Navy shows the USS Benfold, the Dewey's sister ship, operating at an undisclosed location in the South China Sea on May 12. The Benfold is also assigned to the U.S. Seventh Fleet as part of Destroyer Squadron 15.
According to the caption, one of the photos shows an electronics technician with a Chinese name translating "incoming bridge-to-bridge voice communications" in the pilothouse of the Benfold—suggesting the American warship may have encountered the Chinese navy.
U.S. military vessels and aircraft routinely interact with foreign forces while operating throughout the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. Seventh Fleet told Newsweek, adding that all interactions were "consistent with international norms and did not impact the operation."
U.S. Destroyer Operates In South China Sea
United States Navy electronics technician 2nd Class Haoyu Zhao translates incoming bridge-to-bridge voice communications in the pilothouse of the destroyer USS Benfold while underway in the South China Sea on May 12, 2025. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Monica Walker/U.S. Navy
What People Are Saying
The Pentagon said in its 2024 Freedom of Navigation Report: "Excessive maritime claims are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention…Unlawful maritime claims pose a threat to global mobility and commerce, as well as the legal foundation of the rules-based international order. If left unchallenged, excessive maritime claims could limit the rights and freedoms enjoyed by every nation."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday: "On the South China Sea, there has never been any problem with regard to freedom of navigation and overflight there. China has always been committed to working with countries concerned to properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, while safeguarding China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with laws and regulations."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen how China, which has long claimed sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, will respond militarily to the recent U.S. Navy freedom of navigation operation.
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