A US warship passes through a disputed chain of islands in the South China Sea in a message to Beijing, according to a senior official

A US warship sailed Sunday near two contested Chinese artificial islands in the South China Sea, where Beijing built military fortifications despite a pledge not to do so, a US official told Fox News.

The guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea to respect the rights and freedoms of all States under international law. Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratly Islands, "said the US official, who declined to be identified in a statement.

It is not clear how Beijing will react. Normally, US warships have been monitored by Chinese spy ships in similar operations in the past, in addition to fighter jets.

The latest military operation – which the Pentagon calls routine "freedom of navigation" maneuvers – comes a few days after a series of actions between world powers.

US military forces sailed for the last time on a warship within 12 nautical miles of a disputed Chinese island in May, an internationally recognized territorial boundary. In navigating a warship within this border, the United States rejects this claim, a view shared by most members of the international community. The news of the action has also been reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The transit by the US destroyer Sunday follows a series of diplomatic dead ends between world powers.

CHINA SAYS CARRIER GROUP REACHES INITIAL COMBAT CAPACITY

Last week, China announced that it would not allow a large US warship to travel to Hong Kong next month. On Wednesday, the US Air Force flew nuclear-capable bombers near China in the East China Sea, which Beijing has described as "provocative" despite its presence in the United States. international airspace. China also pulled out its best admiral from Newport, R., last week, before meeting with his US counterpart.

Recent tensions have emerged as the Trump administration has imposed additional sanctions on $ 200 billion of Chinese goods in recent days and has taken additional measures to punish China for its purchase of Russian fighter planes and ground missiles -air advanced.

Last week, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis downplayed recent conflicts with China.

"These are international waters, guys. These are international waters, "said Mattis about the B-52 flight and other" freedom of navigation "operations recently conducted by other US warships.

"If it was 20 years ago and they had not militarized these elements there, it would simply be another bomber en route to Diego Garcia. or whatever, added Mattis. "There is nothing extraordinary about it."

In 2015, in the Garden of Roses in front of the White House, Chinese President Xi promised that his country would not militarize the artificial islands built by humans that Beijing had built on ancient reefs. Since then, China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on some of the islands. Some United States have admitted that some United States would admit that these plans could someday affect US military flight plans.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SOUTHERN SEA OF CHINA

Last week at the United Nations, President Trump accused China of interfering in the upcoming mid-term elections in November.

"They do not want us to win because I'm the first president to challenge China in trade. We win on the trade. We are winning at all levels, "Trump told a meeting of the US Security Council with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi sitting nearby.

In his annual address to the US General Assembly, Trump said China's trade policy "can no longer be tolerated."

"We have accumulated $ 13 trillion in trade deficits over the past two decades, but those days are over. We will no longer tolerate such abuses, we will not allow our workers to be victims, our societies to be deceived and our wealth sacked and transferred. "

Two years ago, the US military accused its Chinese counterparts of stealing two U.S. U.S. submarines in the South China Sea while the US Navy was operating them very closely. The Chinese made the drones weeks later in boxes.

Despite recent diplomatic outbursts, the Trump government has relied on China to help impose sanctions on North Korea in order to convince Kim Jong A to abandon his nuclear weapons program.