US warship sails in disputed South China Sea amid trade tensions

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) transits in the Indian Ocean. (Reuters)

The US military said one of its warships sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal claimed by China in the South China Sea on Sunday, a move likely to anger Beijing at a time of tense ties between the world’s two biggest economies.

The busy waterway is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the US-China relationship, which also include a trade war, US sanctions and Taiwan.