UPDATE 3-U.S. warships sail in disputed South China Sea, angering China

(Adds Chinese foreign ministry comment in paragraphs 11-12)
By Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Navy warships twice
sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea in
the past few days, the U.S. military told Reuters on Thursday,
at a time of heightened 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.
Earlier this week during high-level talks, China called on
the U.S. military to stop flexing its muscles in the South China
Sea and adding "new uncertainties" over democratic Taiwan, which
is claimed by China as a wayward province. The U.S. Navy regularly angers China by conducting what it
calls "freedom of navigation" operations by ships close to some
of the islands China occupies, asserting freedom of access to
international waterways.
The littoral combat ship Gabrielle Giffords traveled within
12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef on Wednesday, Commander Reann
Mommsen, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, told
Reuters.
The destroyer Wayne E. Meyer challenged restrictions on
innocent passage in the Paracel islands on Thursday, Mommsen
said.
"These missions are based in the rule of law and demonstrate
our commitment to upholding the rights, freedoms, and lawful
uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations," she
said.
China's military confirmed on Friday that the two U.S.
warships had sailed through the contentious waterways and said
it tracked the passage of the American ships.
"We urge (the United States) to stop these provocative
actions to avoid any unforeseeable accidents," the spokesman for
China's Southern Theatre Command said in a statement. "China has
indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and
its surrounding area."
China claims almost all the energy-rich waters of the South
China Sea, where it has established military outposts on
artificial islands. However, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the sea.
China's Foreign Ministry also voiced anger, saying it had
lodged strong representations with the U.S. over the warships
movements.
"The U.S. actions severely damage China's sovereignty and
safety, destroy the peace and stability in the South China Sea,
and we express our resolute opposition," said ministry spokesman
Geng Shuang at a daily press briefing on Friday.
The United States accuses China of militarising the South
China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who might
want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper met Chinese Defence
Minister Wei Fenghe earlier this week for closed-door talks on
the sidelines of a gathering of defense ministers in Bangkok.
Wei urged Esper to "stop flexing muscles in the South China
Sea and to not provoke and escalate tensions in the South China
Sea", a Chinese spokesman said.
Esper has accused Beijing of "increasingly resorting to
coercion and intimidation to advance its strategic objectives"
in the region.