China accuses Britain and the US of ’undermining peace’ in the Taiwan Strait
China has warned Britain and the US against sending their warships through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
Both the American destroyer USS Higgins and HMS Richmond, a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate, sailed between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland on Friday.
Senior colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), claimed the military vessels were “engaged in disturbance and provocation” and were tracked by Chinese naval and air forces.
He added: “The actions of the United States and Britain send the wrong signals and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
The Ministry of Defence described the sailing as routine and said the Navy acts “in full compliance with international law and norms, and exercises freedom of navigation rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
The US Indo-Pacific command also said the move was routine as the strait was “beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state.”
Britain, the US, and other countries view the Taiwan Strait as international waters open to all vessels.
Australian and Canadian warships provoked criticism last week after sailing through the waterway.
In June, HMS Spey, a Navy patrol vessel, enraged China by sailing through the waterway. But Taiwan described the patrol, which was the first by a British naval vessel since 2021, as the UK defending the freedom of navigation of the Strait.
China maintains that Taiwan is part of its territory and views the 110-mile channel as under its jurisdiction.
It has led Beijing to stage war games in the area, thereby ramping up the pressure on Taiwan militarily, economically, and diplomatically.
Taiwan’s military has been reporting near-daily sightings of Chinese warships around its waters, as well as sorties by drones and fighter jets around the island.
On Saturday, the Taiwanese defence ministry said it had detected 31 Chinese military aircraft and 13 naval vessels around the island since early Friday – the highest number in a 24-hour period since May.
The Strait is used to transport more than $3 trillion of shipping commerce every year.
Chiu Chui-cheng, Taiwan’s top China policymaker, warned if Taiwan were to fall its impact would prompt a regional “domino effect” that would threaten US security.
Head of Investigations
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