British warship sails near Paracel Islands

HMS Albion, a 22,000-ton amphibious assault ship carrying a contingent of Royal Marines, has passed through the area near the Paracel Islands in recent days,ReutersAlbion then docked at Saigon Port, Ho Chi Minh City on September 3, a source familiar with the matter said today.

The source revealed that China sent a destroyer and two helicopters to challenge the British ship, but both sides remained calm during the "encounter".Another source said the Albion did not enter territorial waters, a 12-nautical-mile zone around features in the area, but stressed Britain did not recognize excessive sovereignty claims around the Paracel Islands.

"HMS Albion exercised her rights of freedom of navigation in full compliance with international laws and regulations," a Royal Navy spokesman said.

The British ship's passage near the Paracel Islands comes as China increasingly exerts control and conducts illegal activities in this strategic sea area, while the US calls for more international intervention in such actions.

Britain and the United States both conduct freedom of navigation operations, but have so far failed to stop China from its illegal activities in the South China Sea, including reclaiming islands and reefs, building runways, hangars and missile systems.

China argues that the construction of facilities is for civilian purposes and self-defense when necessary, and criticizes the US for militarizing the East Sea through freedom of navigation operations.On August 10, Beijing sent a signal asking a US reconnaissance plane flying over the East Sea to leave the area, even though this was an activity in international airspace.

China used force to occupy Vietnam's Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. Beijing then established the so-called "Sansha City", headquartered on Phu Lam Island, part of the Hoang Sa archipelago, in July 2012, and built a 2,000-meter runway for military purposes, along with supporting equipment on Phu Lam Island.

Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence to affirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. Vietnam has repeatedly requested China to stop illegal actions and avoid further complicating the situation, especially militarization, which threatens peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.