China criticises UK navy ship transit of Taiwan Strait
BEIJING: China condemned Britain on Friday for sending a navy ship through the Taiwan Strait, saying the move had "undermined peace and stability" in the sensitive waterway.
Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and claims jurisdiction over the body of water that separates the self-ruled island from the Chinese mainland.
Taiwan's foreign ministry said on Thursday that the British Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Spey sailed through the strait the day before, as part of a freedom of navigation exercise.
China's navy hit back on Friday, accusing London of "publicly hyping up" the move.
Beijing "organised troops to track and warn (the ship) throughout the entire journey, and effectively dealt with it," Liu Runke, a spokesman for the People's Liberation Army Navy's Eastern Theatre Command, said in an online statement.
He said British statements on the transit had "distorted legal principles and confused the public."
"Its actions deliberately disrupted the situation and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Liu said.
China has repeatedly refused to rule out using force to seize control of democratic Taiwan.
The HMS Spey was the first British navy ship to sail through the strait since the HMS Richmond, a frigate deployed with Britain's aircraft carrier strike group, in 2021.
Taiwan's defence ministry said Friday it had detected 50 Chinese military aircraft around the island.
"China respects the right of all countries to navigate the waters of the Taiwan Strait in accordance with the law," Beijing's foreign ministry said on Friday.
"But we resolutely oppose any country conducting provocations and threatening Chinese sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation," spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing.
Beijing has ramped up deployment of fighter jets and naval vessels around Taiwan in recent years to press its sovereignty claim, which Taipei rejects.
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