Latest news with #freedomOfNavigation
ABC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Australian navy joins UK to conduct freedom of navigation exercises in contested South China Sea
An Australian naval destroyer has joined a British patrol vessel to conduct a freedom of navigation exercise in the South China Sea, in another sign Australia's military remains intent on pushing back on Beijing's claims over the contested waters. The UK Defence Ministry's Permanent Joint Headquarters publicised the operation on social media on Tuesday — although the Australian Defence Force has not announced it publicly and has not yet responded to the ABC's questions about the activity. "HMS SPEY and HMAS SYDNEY have just conducted Freedom of Navigation Activity around the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in accordance with UNCLOS," it said on the social media site X. The two countries conducted the drill while much of the world's attention remains focused on the US strikes on Iran and the threat of a broader conflagration in the Middle East. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea as its territory — despite a 2016 international ruling which found that claim invalid — and its navy and coast guard have repeatedly clashed with vessels from the Philippines, which is one of the South-East Asian nations which also has overlapping claims in the sea. China and the Philippines have also had several potentially dangerous aerial encounters over the South China Sea, including in February, when China's military said it had expelled three Philippine aircraft from the Spratly Islands. Australia has conducted freedom of navigation activities in the South China Sea with an expanding number of countries, including the US, Japan, Canada and the Philippines — which have all shown increasing resolve to assert their right to sail through the waters. But Euan Graham from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said it appeared to be the first time that the United Kingdom and Australia had conducted a publicly flagged freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea by themselves. He said both countries were "pushing back against China's excessive maritime claims and thickening military presence in the South China Sea" by asserting their right to navigation. Mr Graham said Canberra was signalling that China's recent partial circumnavigation of the Australian mainland would not deter it from continuing to operate in the South China Sea. Multiple Chinese analysts have suggested that Beijing was using the deployment to Australia to discourage the federal government from sending naval vessels into waters near China. "There's a sense that Australia is stepping up its game and being present (in the South China Sea) at a time when China's navy is exerting its presence close to Australia," Mr Graham said. The United Kingdom and Australia have already been stepping up joint naval activities in the region — including by taking part in an operation to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea. In February British and Australian ships also joined the United States Navy in the South China Sea to conduct a "coordinated manoeuvring exercise", and last week China lashed the United Kingdom after HMS Spey flagged that it was sailing through the Taiwan Strait. The British government has said that HMAS Sydney and HMS Spey will now sail to Singapore, where they will meet with the United Kingdom's carrier Prince of Wales and a Strike Group with a host of navy ships from the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Spain. The Carrier Strike Group will then sail down to the Northern Territory to join Operation Talisman Sabre — massive Australia-US joint military exercises which will also draw in forces from more than a dozen other nations. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the deployment of the carrier and other British naval vessels to the region — along with around 4,000 UK military personnel — is aimed at "sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies".
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Politics
- 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.
Telegraph
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
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.
The Sun
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Raging China slams Britain after Royal Navy warship sails through Taiwan Strait in defiant message to Xi
CHINA has slammed the UK after a Royal Navy warship cruised through the Taiwan Strait in a defiant message to Xi Jinping. Beijing blasted HMS Spey's patrol through the passage, branding it a disruptive act of "intentional provocation" that "undermines peace and stability". 5 5 5 The British Royal Navy said the route was part of a long-planned deployment and in accordance with international law. The bold patrol was the first by a Brit naval vessel in four years. A Chinese navy spokesperson hit back at HMS Spey's route, and blasted the UK for "publicly hyping up" the journey. They added the UK's claims were "a distortion of legal principles and an attempt to mislead the public". And in a chilling threat, they said that Chinese troops would respond and "resolutely counter all threats and provocations" made by HMS Spey. Meanwhile, Taiwan praised the patrol as an act that safeguarded the freedom of navigation in the highly disputed strait. US warships regularly conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the strait. But the last time a British naval vessel made a journey like this was in 2021 when HMS Richmond was deployed from Japan to Vietnam. China, much like this time round, condemned the transit and sent troops to monitor the ship. HMS Spey is one of two British warships permanently on patrol in the Indo-Pacific region. China floods sea bases with nuke bombers, terrifying satellite pics show - as US warns Xi could SEIZE Taiwanese islands China slammed the route as a means of aggression amid the ongoing simmering tension between Taipei and Beijing. Taiwan insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified - and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing's control. The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders. Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island, often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion. China also claims almost the entire disputed waterway in the South China Sea - through which more than 60 per cent of global maritime trade passes. This is despite an international ruling that Beijing's assertion has no merit. In April, Xi Jinping launched a fresh round of army, navy and rocket force exercises encircling Taiwan. 5 5 Beijing described their concerning movements, which included 19 warships and 50 aircraft, as a "stern warning" and a "powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence". And in May, satellite pictures showed that China had deployed its most dangerous nuke bombers to a tiny but vital island sea base. Aerial photos showed two hulking H-6 bombers on an airfield on Woody Island in the South China Sea, taken on May 19. Taiwan's economy is another factor in China's desperation to reclaim the land. If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world's electronics being made in Taiwan. This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy. China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation. In this years New Year's address, President Xi even said that the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. He has previously called the independence of Taiwan a futile effort and that annexation by Beijing is a "historical inevitability". It comes as a UK carrier strike group arrives in the Indo-Pacific region as part of Operation Highmast which is set to last several months. Keir Starmer said it was aimed at "sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies". Total blockade, air blitz & island grab… Three ways China could seize Taiwan By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter WITH an overwhelming military force, advanced warfare techniques and a fragmenting West, Xi Jinping will likely feel more confident than ever to seize Taiwan, experts warn. And if China does decide to attack, it's feared it will go in with "full force" using three major military strategies that would wreak havoc on the island. Defence experts say it's the "perfect moment" for Xi's long-standing ambition to reunify Taiwan with the Chinese mainland - and it could launch an attack as soon as 2027. Professor Ashok Swain, a peace and security expert at Uppsala University in Sweden, says that China could look to attack Taiwan with full force. He said: "The global politics has changed dramatically in the last couple of months... the way Ukraine is being handled by the United States gives a certain comfort level to Xi. "It is the perfect moment for China to attack Taiwan if it plans to do so." Swain suggests they could invade through a devastating air blitz to disable Taiwan's defences as naval forces also encircle the island. This coordinated approach would aim to prevent Taiwan's forces from mounting an effective response and limit the time available for Western intervention, the expert argues. China could also seize all or some of the islands surrounding Taiwan's mainland to gauge a reaction from the West. Any response short of military support would embolden Xi to go further - like Putin annexing Crimea in 2014. The third attack route could be a total blockade. Military experts say China will start with an ever-tightening squeeze on Taiwan using naval blockades around the island - something very similar to the war drills Beijing has been conducting for years. An effective sea and air blockade would halt valuable exports and cut off help from the US and Japan. The island could be crippled financially, economically and operationally if Beijing extended military exercises for a longer period.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China criticises UK warship sailing in Taiwan Strait
China's military has called a British warship's recent passage through the Taiwan Strait an act of "intentional provocation" that "undermines peace and stability" in the contested waterway. The British Royal Navy says the HMS Spey's patrol was part of a long-planned deployment and was in accordance with international law. Wednesday's transit - the first by a British naval vessel in four years - comes as a UK carrier strike group arrives in the region for a deployment that will last several months. China considers Taiwan its territory - a claim that self-ruled Taiwan rejects - and has not ruled out the use of force to "reunify" the island. China has criticised the UK for "publicly hyping up" the journey of the HMS Spey, and said the UK's claims were "a distortion of legal principles and an attempt to mislead the public". It added that it had monitored HMS Spey throughout its journey in the strait. China's "theater command troops are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations", it said. Taiwan's foreign ministry has meanwhile praised the transit as an act that safeguarded the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait. While American warships regularly conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the strait, the last time such a journey was undertaken by a British naval vessel was in 2021 when the warship HMS Richmond was deployed to Vietnam. That transit was similarly condemned by China, which had sent troops to monitor the ship. The HMS Spey is one of two British warships permanently on patrol in the Indo-Pacific. Its passage through the Taiwan Strait comes as a UK carrier strike group, led by the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, arrives in the Indo-Pacific region for an eight-month stint. British PM Keir Starmer has described it as one of the carrier's largest deployments this century that is aimed at "sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies". Around 4,000 UK military personnel are taking part in the deployment. The group will be engaging with 30 countries through military operations and visits, and conduct exercises with the US, India, Singapore and Malaysia. Cross-strait tensions between China and Taiwan have heightened over the past year since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who champions a firm anti-Beijing stance, took office. He has characterised Beijing as a "foreign hostile force" and introduced policies targeting Chinese influence operations in Taiwan. Meanwhile, China continues to conduct frequent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, including a live-fire exercise in April that it claimed simulated strikes on key ports and energy facilities. China's latest criticism of the HMS Spey's transit comes as two Chinese aircraft carriers conduct an unprecedented simultaneous military drill in the Pacific off the waters of Japan, which has alarmed Tokyo.
