--- title: U.S. Defies China's Territorial Claims In South China Sea | TIME description: The U.S. Navy sent a warship within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea. canonical: https://time.com/video/kYudJgvu/ og:title: U.S. Defies China's Territorial Claims In South China Sea og:description: The U.S. Navy sent a warship within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea. og:url: https://time.com/video/kYudJgvu/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kYudJgvu/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Defies China's Territorial Claims In South China Sea twitter:description: The U.S. Navy sent a warship within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kYudJgvu/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # U.S. Defies China's Territorial Claims In South China Sea > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: U.S. Defies China's Territorial Claims In South China Sea [Watch (HLS stream): U.S. Defies China's Territorial Claims In South China Sea](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kYudJgvu.m3u8) (1:28)  _Published 2015-10-27. The U.S. Navy sent a warship within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea._ --- Jul 27, 2023 7:01 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [The U.S. Just Sent 2 Aircraft Carriers to the South China Sea. China Isn't Happy](/video/uxNnOpGk/) ### The U.S. Just Sent 2 Aircraft Carriers to the South China Sea. China Isn't Happy [China Has Dispatched Warships to Challenge U.S. Vessels Sailing Near Disputed Islands](/video/9QSnaTg6/) ### China Has Dispatched Warships to Challenge U.S. Vessels Sailing Near Disputed Islands [Beijing Condemns U.S. Navy Exercises in South China Sea](/video/7lYWlleY/) ### Beijing Condemns U.S. Navy Exercises in South China Sea --- ## Transcript A US warship defied Chinese territorial claims Tuesday, and sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island in the South China Sea. The Chinese island has been called an unsinkable aircraft carrier by some military analysts. The man- made land holds an airstrip, barracks, and other military equipment. Maritime law extends a country's ownership 12 nautical miles beyond it's land. By sending guided missile destroyer, USS Lassen, through that zone, the US has essentially said it doesn't recognize China's claims. And it follows on Step that the U. S. took in May this year when it flew a U. S. survellience plane and we were on board directly over these islands to say that the U. S. does not recognize Chinese airspace. As Fox News notes China says almost all of the South China Sea is theirs. Meanwhile [ UNKNOWN ] Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have declared parts or all of the sea as their own. The US claims neutrality on territorial disputes and says it's only exercising its freedom of navigation. The US Navy frequently patrols the South China Sea, often with Chinese ships close behind as you As you can see in this video. An article published in the Wall Street Journal notes, the South China Sea is home to half of the world's ship bar and trade. The author argues historical inaccuracies plague China's so called historic rights to the sea. Still, it's a little unclear what the US's endgame is. It's unlikely China will break up it's artificial islands any time soon. But as a naval expert told CNN China's strategy in the South China Sea has been one of ambiguity. The US's recent move could force China to clarify its ownership plans, which then can be refuted or defended. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"U.S. Defies China's Territorial Claims In South China Sea","description":"The U.S. Navy sent a warship within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kYudJgvu/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-10-27T13:47:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kYudJgvu.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/kYudJgvu/","duration":"PT1M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/kYudJgvu/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```