A US Navy guided-missile destroyer performed a Freedom of Navigation operation (FONOP) near disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday, just two days after two Chinese military vessels collided while chasing a Philippine Coast Guard ship in nearby waters.

The presence of the US ship in the area prompted China’s military to accuse the US Navy of violating it’s territorial sovereignty, but the US Navy said it had the right to be there.

“USS Higgins (DDG 76) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near Scarborough Reef, consistent with international law,” US Navy 7th Fleet spokesperson Lt. Sarah Merrill said in a statement to CNN.

China, the Philippines and Taiwan all claim sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal, which is about 140 miles (222 ki

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