A US warship has sailed close to an artificial island created by China in the South China Sea as part of a “freedom of navigation” operation. The USS John S McCain destroyer sailed within six nautical miles of Mischief Reef, part of the disputed Spratly Islands south of the Paracel Islands. A US official said a Chinese frigate sent radio warnings at least 10 times to the USS McCain. “They called and said ‘Please turn around, you are in our waters,’” the official said. “We told them we are a US [ship] conducting routine operations in international waters.”
