Navy challenges Vietnamese claims to seas around resort island in South China Sea
By CAITLIN DOORNBOS | STARS AND STRIPES Published: December 28, 2020 YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The USS John S. McCain conducted a freedom-of-navigation operation in the South China Sea on Thursday, the second such mission in a week, according to the Navy’s 7th Fleet. The guided-missile destroyer was sent to challenge Vietnam’s “excessive maritime claims” in the Con Dao Islands, about 150 miles south of Ho Chi Minh City, the 7th Fleet said in a statement the same day. The Con Dao archipelago is made up of 16 islands, most of which are uninhabited, according to Vietnam-guide.com...