The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sails
in the Pacific Ocean in a November 2009 photo provided by the U.S. Navy. The
U.S. Navy sent a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of
artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea on October 27, a U.S.
defense official said, in a challenge to China's territorial claims in the
area.
The U.S. Navy sent a guided-missile destroyer close to China's man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday, drawing an angry rebuke from Beijing, which said it warned and followed the American vessel.
