U.S. warship sails in disputed South China Sea amid trade tensions

A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, a move likely to anger Beijing at a time of tense ties between the world's two largest economies.

The U.S. Navy destroyer Wayne E. Meyer carried out the operation, traveling within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross and Mischief Reefs, Commander Reann Mommsen, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, told Reuters.

Mommsen added that the operation was done to "to challenge excessive maritime claims and preserve access to the waterways as governed by international law."