US Navy ship sails near South China Sea reef claimed by Beijing: US official

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District of Columbia: A US Navy ship has sailed in disputed South China Sea waters near a reef claimed by Beijing, a US official said.

The USS Dewey sailed "less than 12 nautical miles" from Mischief Reef, part of the the Spratly Islands, in a "freedom of navigation operation," the official said.

It is Washington`s first such exercise under the administration of Donald Trump.