The United States Navy has a guided missile destroyer on its way to the South China Sea. The aim of the naval mission will be to come within twelve nautical miles of some man made islands just off the coast of China. The area is one of the most trafficked sea lanes on Earth and the American navy looks to draw a response from the Chinese. The Chinese currently declare the waters as Chinese territory.

Come Tuesday morning, the USS Lassen should be sailing into the Spratly archipelago which is a series of island that China constructed following a huge dredging project in 2014, according to Reuters. The United States expects to receive a severe response from the Chinese. The Chinese have stated that they would not allow any foreign power to enter in that archipelago. The United States navy expects to test that assertion on Tuesday.

The destroyer will head into the disputed waters alone accompanied only by a pair or surveillance aircraft. The waters are in dispute and both The Philippines, Vietnam, and other nations, have made physical claims to the area. The U.S. intends to make regular patrols in the area in the future and will not view this initial incursion as a one time mission.

The aim of the show of force is to remind China that the waters in the South China Sea are important to international trade and must remain free and open to ships of all nations. Even though America and China are deeply coupled in business and financial dealings and trade, the Americans feel that the envelope must be pushed here despite the inevitable tension that will arise. The United States and China are barely on speaking terms and this naval incursion may end up doing more harm than good.

The United States believes that the Chinese have built up those islands as a way to establish bases of operations for possibly military aggression in south Asia.