The US Navy has twice sailed warships in a similar effort to challenge Chinese claims on Paracel and Spratly Islands in the past month and to carry out another such operation near the Paracels in March.
The increased operational tempo comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing on a range of issues, including the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to exercise greater control over Hong Kong and responsibility for the coronavirus.
"On May 28 (local time), the USS Mustin (DDG 89) asserted the rights and freedoms of navigation in the Paracels Islands, in accordance with international law," said Lt. Anthony Junco, spokesman for the 7th Fleet the US Navy, in a statement.
"In conducting this operation, the United States has demonstrated that these waters exceed what China can legally claim as its territorial sea," the statement added.
The Mustin passed less than 12 nautical miles from Woody Island and Pyramid Rock on the islands, said a US Navy official. China has an airfield on Woody Island and has landed strategic bombers there in the past.
The Pentagon recently revealed that a Chinese ship had carried out on April 14 "dangerous and unprofessional maneuvers" near the Mustin "which was carrying out normal operations in international waters" at the time of the incident, according to the spokesman of the Pentagon, Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn.
The Paracel Islands are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan, and the United States has long claimed that Beijing had militarized the South China Sea islands through the deployment of military equipment and the construction of military facilities.
The U.S. military has recently accused China of seeking to exploit the coronavirus pandemic for military and economic benefits in the region.
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