A British Royal Navy warship has sailed close to Chinese-claimed islands in the South China Sea, in a move that Beijing has slammed as a “provocation.”
The incident occurred on August 31, when the HMS Albion amphibious warship was on its way from Japan to Vitenam’s Ho Chi Minh City when a Chinese frigate accompanied by two helicopters were sent to stop it from getting any closer to the China’s Paracel Islands, Reuters reported Thursday.
The two sides kept calm during the encounter but the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement later on that the move was provocative.
“China strongly urges the British side to immediately stop such provocative actions, to avoid harming the broader picture of bilateral relations and regional peace and stability,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
Noting that Beijing had “expressed strong dissatisfaction” with London, the statement added, “China will continue to take all necessary…