Two U.S. warships are operating in the South China Sea, the navy said on Tuesday, with three regional security sources saying they were near an area of a standoff between China and Malaysia.
The Haiyang Dizhi 8, a Chinese government research ship, was spotted last week conducting a survey close to an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia’s state oil company Petronas, months after it undertook a similar patrol off Vietnam.
The incident prompted the United States to call on China to stop its "bullying behavior” in the disputed waters, citing concern over Beijing's provocative actions towards offshore oil and gas developments there.