U.S. Navy destroyer nears islands built by China in South China Sea

By Andrea Shalal and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday sent a guided-missile destroyer to challenge 12-nautical-mile territorial limits that China claims around artificial islands it built in the South China Sea. A U.S. defense official said the USS Lassen was nearing Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014. The Lassen would be in the area for several hours in what would be the start of a series of challenges to China's territorial claims in one of the world's busiest sea lanes, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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