The warship Carney has wrapped up its unprecedented cruise in the Middle East, where it battled Iran-backed Houthi rebel barrages on a near-daily basis.
The destroyer passed through the waterway between mainland China and Taiwan on Wednesday, less than two weeks before Taiwan's new president takes office.
U.S. Marines and their Filipino counterparts have staged joint combat drills near southern Taiwan, a flashpoint in the Washington-Beijing military rivalry.
The incident occurred near Scarborough Shoal, one of two hotly disputed areas where confrontations between the two countries have flared since last year.