Navy destroyer to patrol near Chinese islands

The U.S. Navy is sending a warship within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in disputed seas, Reuters reported Monday.

The move, which U.S. officials have been considering for months, is sure to anger Beijing, which has said it won’t tolerate what it considers a violation of its territorial waters.

The USS Lassen destroyer will patrol near the Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea within the next 24 hours, according to Reuters, which cited an anonymous Defense Department official.

{mosads}More patrols could come in future weeks, the official added.

In 2014, China began building up the islands to bolster its claims in the disputed area.

Earlier this month, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned against foreign patrols so close to the islands.

“We will never allow any country to violate China’s territorial waters and airspace in the Spratly Islands, in the name of protecting freedom of navigation and overflight,” she said.

The United States has said building artificial islands does not give China a territorial claim to the waters and that freedom of navigation is key in an area integral to world trade.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has repeatedly said the United States will “fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows” when asked about the South China Sea.

Officials have not publically confirmed that a patrol will take place.