(CNN) The United States sailed a warship close to disputed islands in the South China Sea on Sunday, a move that is bound to draw the ire of Beijing and comes amid heightened US-China tensions over a broad range of issues.

Two US officials told CNN that the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Islands as part of what the US Navy calls "freedom of navigation operations," which are meant to enforce the right of free passage in international waters.

"US Forces operate in the Indo-Pacific region on a daily basis, including the South China Sea. All operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows," a US defense official told CNN.

The freedom of navigation operations "challenge excessive maritime claims and demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms, and uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law," the official added.

While the Navy conducts such freedom of navigation operations all over the world, China is particularly sensitive about the operations when they come near areas where the Chinese government has built islands and established military facilities on disputed maritime features.

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