US Destroyers Sail in Disputed South China Sea Amid Trade Tensions

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy, on May 21, 2015. U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters/File Photo

WASHINGTON—Two U.S. warships sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Feb. 11, a U.S. official told Reuters, a move likely to anger Beijing at a time of tense relations between the world’s two biggest economies.

Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war and the two sides are trying to hammer out a deal ahead of a March 1 deadline when U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to increase to 25 percent from 10 percent.