The United Kingdom and Japan—United States allies in NATO and the Pacific respectively—have sent naval ships through the Taiwan Strait, which China has long claimed sovereignty over.
Regarding the passage of the British patrol vessel HMS Spey on Wednesday, the Chinese military described it as “undermining peace and stability” across the 110-mile-wide waterway.
Newsweek has emailed the Chinese and Japanese defense ministries for further comment.
Why It Matters
Communist China has declared its “sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction” over the Taiwan Strait, which separates its territory from Taiwan and connects two contested seas—the East China Sea and the South China Sea—making it a strategic waterway.
Despite never having ruled Taiwan—a security partner of the U.S.—the Communist regime in Beijing has long claimed the self-governed, democratic island as one of its provinces. Xi Jinping, leader of China, has vowed to use force to achieve “reunification,” if necessary.
As military tensions between China and Taiwan have grown in recent years, the U.S. and its allies and partners have frequently conducted naval and aerial passages through the Taiwan Strait, asserting freedoms of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law.
What To Know
The Spey—a Royal Navy vessel deployed to the Indo-Pacific region—navigated the Taiwan Strait, according to Taiwanese media citing the British Office in Taipei. Prior to the transit, the ship conducted joint patrols in the East China Sea with the U.S. Coast Guard.
The British Office stated that the passage was conducted in accordance with the rights granted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said the transit reaffirmed the strait’s status as what it calls “international waters.”
The Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, which oversees military affairs related to Taiwan, confirmed the Spey‘s transit in a statement on Friday. It claimed its units tracked and monitored the ship in the Taiwan Strait, handling the situation “effectively.”
This was not the first time a British warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait. In September 2021, the frigate HMS Richmond—deployed to the western Pacific with an aircraft carrier group—transited the waterway en route to Vietnam after operating in the East China Sea.
Meanwhile, Japanese destroyer JS Takanami passed southward through the Taiwan Strait on June 12, Japanese media reported on Thursday, citing unspecified “diplomatic sources.”
The transit, which was tracked and monitored by the Chinese military, lasted over 10 hours, according to the report. The Japanese warship entered the strait from the East China Sea and proceeded to the Philippines, where it conducted a drill in the South China Sea on June 14.
While the Japanese government does not officially acknowledge naval transits through the Taiwan Strait, the June 12 transit marked the third known passage by Japan’s navy. The previous two occurred in September last year and February this year, the report added.
What People Are Saying
The British Office in Taipei told Taiwanese media on Thursday: “Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international law and exercises its right to freedom of navigation and overflight provided by [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea].”
The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs encourages like-minded countries such as the United Kingdom to jointly defend peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, and maintain a rules-based international order.”
Senior Captain Liu Runke, navy spokesperson for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement on Friday: “The troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command will remain on high alert at all times and resolutely counter all threats and provocations.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether other U.S. allies and partners—both within and beyond the Pacific—will deploy warships to the Taiwan Strait, as China continues to maintain a persistent military presence around Taiwan.
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