Navy via AP)WASHINGTON – Activity by the U.S. Navy in its campaign to challenge China's efforts to restrict transit in the South China Sea and in the Taiwan Strait increased sharply over the past two years. And Navy ships sailed through the Taiwan Strait 13 times in 2020, the highest number of transits in at least 14 years. AdChina claims ownership over virtually the entire South China Sea and has built military installations on reefs and atolls by covering them with sand and concrete. To erode China’s claims on the South China Sea, U.S. ship conduct "freedom of navigation” operations, sailing into international waters that China is trying to claim as its own. The U.S. ship transits through the Taiwan Strait, which divides China and Taiwan, are viewed by Beijing as provocative.