SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
China criticises UK navy ship transit of Taiwan Strait
Beijing, June 20 (AFP) Jun 20, 2025
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.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
PLD Space selected as leading contender for ESA sovereign launch initiative
UK thermal satellite firm wins ESA contract to deliver real time climate and security insights
UK opens competitive bid for GBP 75 million orbital cleanup mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
China speeds up renewables building spree: report
French giant EDF will take 12.5 pecent stake in new UK nuclear plant
Major US teachers union teams up with AI giants

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
BlackSky expands Gen-3 access to bolster Ukraine-focused intelligence operations
Maxar secures $205 million in multi-year deals to boost space capabilities across MEA
K2 Space validates satellite systems in orbit and fires record-breaking thruster

24/7 News Coverage
The long slow death of Norway's wild salmon
Beijing decries 'discriminatory' ban on Chinese purchases of US farmland
China's 'new farmers' learn to livestream in rural revitalisation



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.