US warships challenge China near the Paracel Islands.

A US Navy warship sailed close to the islands of the Paracel Islands, which China is illegally occupying in the South China Sea.

The US destroyer USS Decatur. Photo: America's Navy

Reuters reports fromThe US Department of Defense said the guided-missile destroyer's transit through the area was noteworthy.The USS Decatur's mission on October 21st was a "routine, lawful, unescorted operation with no incidents."

The ship approached the islands of Tri Ton and Phu Lam, part of Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago which is illegally occupied by China, and was monitored by three Chinese vessels, but all interactions between the two sides were safe.Do not enter the 12-nautical-mile zone around the islands.

This marks the fourth time the U.S. has sent ships to the South China Sea to challenge China's territorial claims in the past year, and the first since May. On the three previous occasions, U.S. warships entered the 12-nautical-mile zone around the islands, angering China.

China brazenly asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea with its "nine-dash line" claim, disregarding objections from neighboring countries, the international community, and the July ruling of the Arbitration Tribunal in the Netherlands.

The US criticized the activity.This move reinforces China's illegal military bases in this sea region and expresses concern that they could restrict freedom of navigation.

China has a runway and has installed surface-to-air missiles on Phu Lam Island, where it has the largest presence in the Paracel Islands.

Vietnam declares that it has full legal grounds and historical evidence to affirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, and simultaneouslyperseveranceWe strongly oppose and have repeatedly demanded that China immediately cease its illegal activities in the area, and seriously implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.regarding the Law of the Sea1982.

According to VNE