A Royal Navy patrol vessel transiting the Taiwan Strait has triggered a fierce response from China, which accused the United Kingdom of "deliberately causing trouble" and undermining regional peace. The HMS Spey sailed through the contested waterway on Wednesday in what the U.K. Defense Ministry described as a routine "freedom of navigation operation" consistent with international maritime law.
In a sharply worded statement, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command said, "The British side's remarks distort legal principles and mislead the public; its actions deliberately cause trouble and disrupt things, undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." The PLA confirmed it followed and monitored the vessel and warned that its forces remain "on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations."
This marked the Royal Navy's first Taiwan Strait passage since HMS Richmond sailed through the area in 2021 during a previous Indo-Pacific deployment. The latest move coincides with the arrival of a multinational carrier strike group led by HMS Prince of Wales in East Asia for an eight-month series of military exercises. The fleet includes ships from Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and Spain and will participate in joint drills and port visits in Singapore, Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, and the United States.
Taiwan's foreign ministry responded positively to the U.K.'s naval transit, stating it "welcomes and affirms the British side once again taking concrete actions to defend the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait." Taipei and its Western allies, including the U.S., consider the Taiwan Strait international waters, in contrast to Beijing's claim over the area as its sovereign territory.
The transit of HMS Spey came amid increased Chinese military activity near Taiwan. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported 50 Chinese aircraft operating in the vicinity of the strait and the northern South China Sea within a 24-hour period. These operations followed an order from Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Thursday to intensify surveillance and intelligence-gathering in response to PLA maneuvers.
China's recent exercises mirror prior displays of force, including a large-scale drill in October that featured PLA army, navy, and rocket forces. At that time, Beijing described the operation as a "stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces."
