A US Navy ship has sailed into the disputed waters that surround Chinese-built artificial islands.

According to the BBC, the guided missile destroyer breached the 12 mile zone China claims in the Spratly archipelago.

The foreign ministry in Beijing said their position is “illegal.”

However the US Defense Department spokesman Commander Bill Urban said that “the United States is conducting routine operations in the South China Sea in accordance with international law”.

Thai business attorneys Chaninat and Leeds, have been assisting businesses, small and large, start up operations and conduct business in Thailand since 1997

Washington believes that China could have built these islands as military facilities, something that China denies.

International maritime law states that countries can claim ownership of the 12-nautical mile area surrounding natural islands but does not allow nations to claim ownership of submerged features that have been manually raised – such is the case with these islands.

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