Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. China: U.S. Vessel Sails Through Disputed South China Sea January 30, 2016 | 15:36 GMT U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the South China Sea's disputed Paracel Islands group, according to a Pentagon representative, Reuters reported. China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the action, accusing the U.S. navy of entering Chinese territorial waters. China, Taiwan and Vietnam all claim the island. The United States, however, considers them international waters and has said that its ships and aircraft will travel along any routes allowed by international law at any time without prior permission. A U.S. vessel carried out the first of these freedom of navigation patrols in October 2015. Beijing's and Washington's divergent perspectives are rooted in radically different national and regional strategies.