Beijing yesterday expressed anger after a British Royal Navy warship sailed close to islands claimed by China in the South China Sea late last month, saying Britain was engaged in "provocation" and that Beijing had lodged a strong complaint. The HMS Albion, a 22,000-ton amphibious warship carrying a contingent of Royal Marines, exercised its "freedom of navigation" rights as it passed near the Paracel Islands, two sources, who were familiar with the matter but who asked not to be identified, told Reuters. The Albion was on its way to Ho Chi Minh City, where it docked on Monday following a deployment in and around Japan.

British Navy warship sailing near SCS islands angers Beijing. (2018, September 7). The Philippine Star, p. 15.