Britain enrages China with patrolling warship in Taiwan Strait
Britain has enraged China by sailing one of its warships through the Taiwan Strait.
HMS Spey, a Royal Navy patrol vessel, sailed through the waterway – which flows between China and Taiwan, and over which Beijing claims sovereignty – on Wednesday.
Taiwan hailed the patrol, the first by a British naval vessel since 2021, as the UK defending freedom of navigation of the Strait in the face of increased Chinese aggression in the region.
A Navy spokesman said the long-planned deployment 'took place in full compliance with international law'.
But China's People's Liberation Army accused the Navy of trying to 'distort legal principles and mislead the public'. It said its actions were 'undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait'.
China claims sovereignty over both Taiwan and the Strait, while the government in Taipei considers the waterway to be international waters.
The People's Liberation Army also said the ship was responsible for 'public hyping' and that its forces had been monitoring its movements. 'Troops in the theatre are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations,' it said.
In contrast, Taiwan's foreign ministry said it 'affirms the British side once again taking concrete actions to defend the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait' and 'demonstrating its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters'.
Earlier on Friday, Taiwan's defence ministry said it detected 50 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around the island between 6am on Thursday and 6am on Friday local time.
The ministry also said 46 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering Taiwan's air defence identification zones.
Another 24 People's Liberation Army aircraft were detected on Friday morning, including Russian-made Su-30 fighters and the Chinese-made Shaanxi KJ-500, 15 of which crossed the median line.
Taiwan 'monitored the situation and employed [patrol] aircraft, navy vessels and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,' its defence ministry said.
While Chinese aircraft and vessels move around Taiwan almost daily, the number has fluctuated around the low tens on average over the last couple of weeks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Japan hosts coast guard drills with US and Philippines as sea tensions rise
Japan 's coast guard on Friday held a joint exercise with counterparts from the United States and the Philippines, as the three Pacific nations beef up defense cooperation in the face of China's expanding maritime activities. The exercise came after Japan confirmed that two Chinese aircraft carriers had operated together for the first time in the Pacific in June. Japan and China had blamed each other after Tokyo complained that a Chinese fighter jet from one of the carriers flew dangerously close to Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. Friday's coast guard exercise just off Japan's southern prefecture of Kagoshima involved 350 personnel from the three countries, and was based on a scenario of a collision between vessels at high seas, a fire and crew members falling overboard. The three nation's leaders last year agreed to bolster maritime cooperation, as they expressed concern over Beijing 's military maneuvers in the region. Their first joint drills were held in the Philippines in 2023. The coast guard cooperation is part of an effort to secure a 'free and open' Indo-Pacific by promoting mutual understanding and trust, Japan coast guard commander Adm. Yoshio Seguchi told a news conference Wednesday. China routinely sends coast guard vessels, warships and warplanes around disputed East China Sea islands, and recently as far as Guam, a U.S. Pacific territory with military bases. Beijing also sends coast guard vessels in the South China Sea, which it claims virtually in its entirety, clashing frequently with Philippine vessels.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
China furious as UK warship passes by in patrol
China 's military sharply criticised the passage of a British warship, HMS Spey, through the Taiwan Strait, labelling it a deliberate attempt to "cause trouble" and asserting the waterway constitutes Chinese waters. Britain's Royal Navy maintained the transit was a "routine navigation" conducted in full compliance with international law, aligning with Taiwan and the United States who consider the strait an international waterway. Taiwan's government welcomed the British warship's sailing, affirming its defence of freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te ordered heightened surveillance and intelligence efforts in response to increased Chinese military activities, including a report of 50 aircraft near the island. The incident occurs as China has stepped up military drills around Taiwan, and amid efforts by Britain and China to mend relations, with a potential visit by a British leader to Beijing later this year.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Russia signs investment deal with Myanmar, sees offshore oil and gas prospects
ST PETERSBURG, June 20 (Reuters) - Russia signed an investment agreement with Myanmar on Friday that it said could open up new opportunities for Russian energy companies in the south Asian country. "We especially note the readiness of the Myanmar side to attract Russian companies to the development of offshore oil and gas fields," Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said after signing the agreement in St Petersburg with Kan Zaw, Myanmar's minister of investment and foreign economic relations. Russia said the deal would help accelerate projects including in Myanmar's Dawei special economic zone, where a 660 MW coal-fired thermal power plant is being developed. Russia has been building closer ties with Myanmar's military junta, which seized power in 2021 by toppling the elected government of Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The country is struggling with internal conflict, an economy in tatters, widespread hunger and a third of the nation's 55 million people in need of aid, according to the United Nations. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing met Russian President Vladimir Putin in March and signed an agreement on construction of a small-scale nuclear plant in Myanmar. A month earlier, the two countries signed a memorandum on construction of a port and oil refinery in the Dawei economic zone. Friday's agreement will also facilitate cooperation in areas including transport infrastructure, metallurgy, agriculture and telecommunications, the Russian government said.
