Britain enrages China with patrolling warship in 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.
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