China angered by British warship sailing as Taiwan raises alert level
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Britain's Royal Navy said the patrol vessel HMS Spey conducted a routine navigation through the narrow waterway that was part of a long-planned deployment.
PHOTO: UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
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BEIJING – China’s military on June 20 criticised the sailing of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait as a deliberate attempt to “cause trouble”, while Taiwan’s president ordered monitoring stepped up in response to Chinese military activities.
China, which views the island as its own territory – a claim rejected by Taiwan – has stepped up drills around it over the past five years, including staging war games that have alarmed Taipei, Washington and Tokyo.
Britain’s Royal Navy said the patrol vessel HMS Spey made a routine navigation
China considers the strait to be Chinese waters, although Taiwan, the US and many of its allies say it is an international waterway.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said the June 18 transit of the ship was “public hyping” and that its forces followed and monitored the Spey.
“The British side’s remarks distort legal principles and mislead the public; its actions deliberately cause trouble and disrupt things, undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” it said in a statement. “Troops in the theatre are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations.”
Taiwan’s government welcomed the transit.
“The Foreign Ministry welcomes and affirms the British side once again taking concrete actions to defend the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, demonstrating its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters,” the ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te ordered defence and security units on June 19 to step up their monitoring and intelligence efforts in response to China’s military activities, which he said had not abated even as tension rose in the Middle East.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party was trying to “latch on to a hot topic”.
“No matter what they say or do, it cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China,” he added.
On the morning of June 20, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry reported another spike over the previous 24 hours in Chinese movements close to the island, involving 50 aircraft, concentrated in the strait and the top part of the South China Sea.
The ministry reported 24 more Chinese aircraft in Taiwan’s vicinity on June 20, including Su-30 fighter jets.
The last time a British warship sailed through the strait was in 2021, when HMS Richmond was deployed in the East China Sea en route to Vietnam. The Chinese military followed it at the time and warned it to leave.
The latest passage comes at a time when Britain and China are looking to mend ties, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to visit Beijing in 2025 on the first trip by a British leader since 2018.
US Navy ships sail through the strait around once every two months, sometimes accompanied by allied nations. REUTERS
