China warns UK and US over warships passing through Taiwan Strait
Kyiv • UNN
China warned the UK and US after their warships passed through the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese military tracked HMS Richmond and USS Higgins, calling their actions a provocation that undermines peace and stability.
China has warned the UK and the US after their warships passed through the Taiwan Strait, where diplomatic tensions prevail, UNN reports with reference to Sky News.
Details
On Friday, Chinese naval and air forces were ordered to track and warn two ships, HMS Richmond and USS Higgins, as they passed through the 110-mile (180-kilometer) passage between the island and mainland China.
According to the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), these ships were engaged in creating disturbances and provocations.
"The actions of the United States and Great Britain send wrong signals and undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," the statement said.
Addendum
The UK Ministry of Defence stated that the passage was routine, adding that the Royal Navy, wherever it operates, "operates in full compliance with international law and exercises the right to freedom of navigation in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."
The US Indo-Pacific Command also described the mission as a routine transit, describing the strait as "beyond the territorial waters of any coastal state."
"The rights and freedoms of navigation in the Taiwan Strait should not be restricted," the statement said.
What else is known?
The British vessel, deployed in the East China Sea in 2021, is a Type 34 or Duke-class frigate, and the American ship is an Arleigh Burke-class (Flight II) Aegis guided-missile destroyer.
Earlier on Friday, the Chinese Navy stated that its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which is still undergoing sea trials, also passed through the strait.
Last week, Canadian and Australian warships made a passage through this strategic waterway.
The US and its allies, including Canada, the UK, and France, send ships through the strait, which they consider to be in international waters, approximately once a month.
In June, another British warship, HMS Spey, passed through the strait to create problems, according to Beijing.
China views Taiwan as its territory, which Taipei rejects, and claims that the strait is part of its territorial waters.
Over the past five years, Beijing has increased military pressure on the island, including conducting military exercises nearby.
Taiwan's top official for China and head of the Mainland Affairs Council said on Friday that China is preparing to invade Taiwan.
Speaking in Washington, Chiu Chui-cheng warned that the fall of Taiwan would trigger a regional "domino effect" that would threaten US security.