China has expressed strong condemnation over the passage of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait, with its military labeling the act as a “provocative and deliberate” move that undermines peace and stability in the region.
A spokesperson for the Chinese navy criticized the United Kingdom for “publicly examining” the voyage of HMS Spey and asserted that the UK’s claims were “a distortion of legal principles and an attempt to deceive the public.”
“Such actions are deliberate provocations that disrupt the situation and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the spokesperson added, as reported by the BBC. He further stated that HMS Spey was monitored throughout its transit and that Chinese forces “will resolutely counter all threats and provocations.”
Later, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated that while China respects the rights of other countries to navigate through the Taiwan Strait, it “strongly opposes any country that uses the name of freedom of navigation to provoke and threaten China’s sovereign security.”
Taiwan’s View and Broader UK Deployment
In contrast, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the patrol, viewing it as an act that upholds freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait. While U.S. warships regularly conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the strait, the last such transit by a British naval vessel was in 2021 when HMS Richmond was deployed to Vietnam. That transit was similarly denounced by China, which had dispatched forces to monitor the ship.
The passage of HMS Spey through the Taiwan Strait occurs as a British carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, arrives in the Indo-Pacific region for an eight-month deployment. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it as one of the largest air carrier deployments this century, aimed at “sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries and a message of unity and purpose to our allies.” Approximately 4,000 British military personnel are participating in the deployment. The group will engage with 30 countries through military operations and visits and will conduct exercises with the U.S., India, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Rising Tensions in the Strait
Cross-strait tensions between China and Taiwan have escalated over the past year since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who advocates a firm anti-Beijing stance, took office. He has characterized Beijing as a “hostile foreign force” and has introduced policies aimed at countering Chinese influence operations in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, China continues to conduct frequent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, including a live-fire exercise in April, which it claimed simulated attacks on key ports and energy facilities.
