WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Navy warships, on two
occasions in the past few days, sailed near islands claimed by
China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials told Reuters on
Thursday, at a time of tension between the world's two largest
economies.
The busy waterway is one of a number of flashpoints in the
U.S.-China relationship, which include a trade war, U.S.
sanctions, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Commander Reann Mommsen, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's
Seventh Fleet, told Reuters that the operations were carried out
on Wednesday and Thursday and involved the Paracel Islands and
Mischief Reef.