US destroyer sails past Chinese-held South China Sea islands

BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. Navy has sailed a destroyer close to China-controlled islands in the South China Sea. Washington says it’s a patrol aimed at asserting freedom of navigation through the strategic seaway. The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold sailed past the Paracel Islands and continued with operations in the South China Sea. Such operations are key to the U.S. Navy maintaining its presence in the Indo-Pacific, where China has grown its presence through a massive ship-building campaign and the establishment of allies such as the Solomon Islands. Washington lays no claim to the disputed waters but has deployed Navy ships and Air Force jets to patrol the waterway for decades. China has accused the U.S. of meddling in a purely Asian dispute and demanded it leave the region.