The HMS Albion, the British Royal Navy amphibious flagship, passed the
Paracel Islands in recent days, sources told Reuters.
It was in assertion of this freedom that the USS Higgins and the USS Antietam sailed close to Woody and the other
Paracel islands last Sunday.
The US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier said the Higgins guided-missile destroyer and the Antietam, a guided-missile cruiser, came within 12 nautical miles of the
Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.
In the
Paracel islands, a new helipad, wind turbines and large radar towers had been built.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Navy has been carrying out exercises near the disputed
Paracel islands.
The island, a part of the
Paracel Islands chain in the South China Sea, is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
Other nations in the region have competing claims for the Spratly Islands, along with the
Paracel Islands and Scarborough Shoal, which are thought to have rich resources in their waters.
Typhoon Kujira will sweep over the
Paracel Islands in the South China Sea before hitting land somewhere between Wanning on Hainan and Zhanjiang in neighbouring Guangdong province, bringing strong wind and heavy rain, Xinhua news agency said.
There are disputes concerning the Spratly and the
Paracel islands, as well as maritime boundaries in the Gulf of Tonkin and elsewhere.