China’s military has sharply condemned the British Royal Navy after HMS Spey made its way through the Taiwan Strait earlier this week. Calling the action a calculated move to provoke tensions, Beijing labeled it an “intentional provocation” that “undermines peace and stability” in the area.
The British Royal Navy defended the journey of HMS Spey, citing the patrol was conducted under a routine deployment and adhered to international law. The first UK naval vessel to travel through the strategic strait in four years.
The deployment is being made in tandem with the arrival of a UK carrier strike group in the Indo-Pacific, which will spend the next eight months in the region. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has welcomed the mission, the largest in decades, he says—led by the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, and declared it is intended to “send a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies.”
Approximately 4,000 British troops are involved in the operation, with engagement with 30 nations and combined military exercises with the US, India, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Reaction of Beijing and Sovereignty Issues
China, which asserts Taiwan as a part of its territory even though the island has democratic rule, responded sharply. China’s navy spokesman accused the UK of “publicly hyping up” the transit of the HMS Spey and called Britain’s explanation “a distortion of legal principles and an attempt to mislead the public.
“These acts are deliberate provocations which interfere with the situation and erode peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” the spokesperson continued. The Chinese military confirmed it closely followed the ship in its passage and warned that its forces “will resolutely counter all threats and provocations.”
Subsequently, a Chinese foreign ministry official recognized other countries’ freedom to navigate the strait but gave a clear warning: “China respects other countries’ rights to navigate the Taiwan Strait,” he said, with China “opposing firmly any country using the term freedom of navigation to provoke and menace China’s sovereign security.”
Support From Taiwan
Taiwan’s ministry of foreign affairs hailed the patrol as a gesture that assists in the defense of freedom of navigation across the Taiwan Strait.
Whereas the United States regularly holds such operations within the region, Britain’s previous transit of the strait occurred in 2021 when HMS Richmond sailed through on a mission to Vietnam. That operation was also condemned by China, which reacted by sending troops to scout the vessel.
HMS Spey is one of two British warships to be permanently based in the Indo-Pacific, bolstering the UK’s increasing naval presence in the region.
The fresh tensions are occurring amid increasing tension between China and Taiwan, especially since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, a strident Beijing critic, took office. He has referred to China as a “foreign hostile force” and introduced measures geared towards pushing back against Chinese influence in Taiwan.
Beijing has persisted with its military intimidation with constant exercises near Taiwan, such as a live-fire exercise in April that it said imitated attacks on critical infrastructure like ports and energy facilities.
China’s rebuke of the UK comes as its two carriers conduct an unprecedented combined military exercise off Japan. The move has been raising alarm in Tokyo and contributing to regional concern over Beijing’s growing military assertiveness.