US Allies Challenge Beijing's Claims in Contested South China Sea

Newsweek

4 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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The British and Australian militaries have challenged China's claims over the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea with a "freedom of navigation" operation.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Australian Navy via email for comment outside of office hours.
Why It Matters
China asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, an archipelago with competing claims by Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.
The United States, and increasingly its allies, have stepped up naval transits in disputed areas in recent years to push back against the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by claimant countries.
What To Know
On Monday, British River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey and Australian Hobart-class guided missile destroyer HMAS Sydney "conducted a freedom of navigation activity around the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in accordance with UNCLOS," the United Kingdom's Permanent Joint Headquarters wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
China had not publicly commented on the operation as of press time, but it frequently criticizes military activities by "outside countries."
A service member of the British Navy looks through binoculars during a "freedom of navigation activity" in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands on June 23, 2025.
A service member of the British Navy looks through binoculars during a "freedom of navigation activity" in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands on June 23, 2025.
Just days earlier, the Spey passed through another disputed waterway—the Taiwan Strait—amid ongoing tensions between China and the self-ruled democracy of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
Taiwan's foreign ministry thanked the U.K. on X for "standing with Taiwan in support of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific."
The Spey, along with its sister ship HMS Tamar, has been permanently based in the Pacific since 2021 as part of London's effort to play a larger role in the region.
During U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's visit to the Philippines in March, he condemned China's "dangerous and destabilizing activities" in the South China Sea.
China's territorial dispute with the Philippines has been particularly fierce in recent years as Chinese maritime forces expand into the U.S. defense treaty ally's exclusive economic zone.
In 2016, a Hague-based arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of Manila and dismissed China's claims within the Philippines' maritime zone, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Beijing maintains the decision is invalid.
The most recent U.S. Navy ship to pass near the Spratly Islands was the USS Dewey, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, on May 12.
What People Are Saying
China's embassy in the U.K. responded to U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's remark in March: "As a country outside the region, the U.K. should respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace and stability.
"We urge the U.K. to stop heightening antagonism and sowing discord, and stop any words and deeds that undermine regional peace and stability."
What Happens Next
The U.K. and Australia are likely to continue conducting periodic "freedom of navigation" activities in the South China Sea as well as the Taiwan Strait.