US warships are spotted near islands disputed by China.

247, with Sputnik - The US Navy destroyers USS Spruance and USS Preble passed within 19 km of the Spratly Islands, which are disputed between China and several other Southeast Asian countries.

The operation was carried out "to challenge excessive claims and preserve access to shipping lanes in accordance with international law," Clay Doss, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet, told CNN, stressing that "the U.S. will fly, sail, and conduct operations where international law permits."

"This is true both in the South China Sea and in other parts of the world," the spokesperson added.

It is worth noting that this is the second operation carried out by the US this year, since in January the destroyer USS McCampbell sailed less than 19 km from the Paracel Islands.

At the time, China accused the US of invading its territorial waters and claimed to have installed missiles "capable of attacking medium and large vessels."

China claims the right to build military installations in the Spratly archipelago, composed of a large number of small islands and reefs scattered across an area of ​​more than 400 km².

The region is disputed by China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam, which have occupied some of the islands and claim part or all of the territory. Additionally, Brunei is also present on some reefs in the archipelago, however, it has not claimed any rights to them.