The U.S.S. William P. Lawrence, a US Navy guided missile destroyer, sailed within twelve nautical miles of Fiery Cross Reef in the hotly-contested Spratly Islands, and drew a less-than-neighborly response. China, in response to the ship’s passing, scrambled three ships and two fighter jets in an attempted to run off the Lawrence, an Arleigh Burke-class vessel equipped with the Aegis Combat System.

China scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday as a US navy ship sailed close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, a patrol China denounced as an illegal threat to peace which only went to show its defense installations in the area were necessary.

Guided missile destroyer the USS William P. Lawrence traveled within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef, U.S. Defense Department spokesman Bill Urban said.

The so-called freedom of navigation operation was undertaken to “challenge excessive maritime claims” by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam which were seeking to restrict navigation rights in the South China Sea, Urban said.

“These excessive maritime claims are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention in that they purport to restrict the navigation rights that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise,” Urban said in an emailed statement.

China and the United States have traded accusations of militarizing the South China Sea as China undertakes large-scale land reclamation and construction on disputed features while the United States has increased its patrols and exercises.

Facilities on Fiery Cross Reef include a 3,000-metre (10,000-foot) runway which the United States worries China will use to press its extensive territorial claims at the expense of weaker rivals.

China’s Defence Ministry said two fighter jets were scrambled and three warships shadowed the US Navy ship, telling it to leave.

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(Featured Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Burke/U.S. Navy)