he US Navy has conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, challenging the territorial claims of China, Taiwan, and Vietnam near the Paracel Islands. The guided-missile destroyer USS Milius conducted the operation, asserting navigational rights and freedoms consistent with international law, according to a statement from the 7th Fleet spokesperson. China, Taiwan, and Vietnam all claim the Paracel Islands, a group of around 130 small atolls, with the largest hosting Chinese military bases. The US Navy's operation also contested China's claim to "straight baselines enclosing the Paracels," which extends Beijing's claim to waters between the islands beyond the internationally recognized 12-nautical-mile limit for territorial waters.
China has rejected a UN tribunal's ruling, which favored the Philippines in a dispute with China over islands in the Spratly group, and has built up military bases on disputed islands in both the Spratlys and the Paracels. The US regularly conducts freedom of navigation operations in the disputed waters, and China has accused the US military of violating its sovereignty, security, and international law. The area around the Paracel Islands has become a potential flashpoint in the Asia Pacific, as it holds vast resources of fish, oil, and gas, and a third of global shipping passes through it, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' China Power Project.