US Navy patrols near disputed features claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea hit a record high last year, newly released figures show, as the Trump administration ramped up its efforts to challenge China’s territorial claims in the contested waterway. “Clearly, under the Trump Administration we see a more concrete drive towards FONOPs in the South China Sea as seen in the incremental build-up in frequency since 2015 and after he took office,” said Collin Koh, a research fellow at RSIS.