China and Britain clash after UK warship patrols disputed waters
China 's military has sharply criticised the passage of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait, labelling it a deliberate attempt to "cause trouble", as Taiwan's president ordered heightened surveillance in response to Beijing's military activities.
The Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army condemned the HMS Spey's Wednesday sailing as "public hyping", stating that its forces closely followed and monitored the patrol vessel.
Beijing asserts that the narrow waterway, which separates mainland China from Taiwan, constitutes Chinese waters.
In contrast, Britain's Royal Navy maintained that the HMS Spey's transit was a "routine navigation" conducted as part of a "long-planned deployment" and "in full compliance with international law".
This stance aligns with Taiwan, the United States, and many of their allies, who contend that the strait is an international waterway.
China, however, views Taiwan as its own territory, further complicating the legal and political status of the strait.
"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," it said in a statement.
"Troops in the theatre are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations."
Taiwan's government welcomed the sailing.
"The foreign ministry welcomes and affirms the British side once again taking concrete actions to defend the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, demonstrating its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters," the ministry said in a statement.
China has over the past five years stepped up its drills around Taiwan, including staging war games that have alarmed Taipei, Washington and Tokyo.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Thursday ordered defence and security units to step up their monitoring and intelligence efforts in response to China's military activities, which he said have not abated even as tensions rise in the Middle East.
On Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry reported another spike in Chinese movements close to the island over the previous 24 hours, involving 50 aircraft, concentrated in the strait and the top part of the South China Sea.
The last time a British warship sailed through the strait was in 2021, when HMS Richmond was deployed in the East China Sea en route to Vietnam. Chinese military followed it at the time and warned it away.
The latest passage comes at a time when Britain and China are seeking to mend their relations, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to visit Beijing later this year - the first trip to the country by a British leader since 2018.
U.S. Navy ships sail through the strait around once every two months, sometimes accompanied by allied nations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Staff at a Dorset school strike over restructuring plans for two schools
Staff at a state school are taking industrial action in protest at restructuring Sherborne Area Schools' Trust (SAST) said Shaftesbury School and Sturminster Newton High in Dorset had been facing a budget deficit of £1m between them so it was "looking to share some leadership roles across the two schools to reduce overheads".On 17 June, Shaftesbury School staff who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) walked out over the restructure, which the NEU said would "take teaching resource away from the front line."SAST said it continued to engage "in constructive dialogue with union colleagues". Jon Timbrell, who represents the NEU in the South West, said the restructure is "stripping half of the heads of curriculum out of the schools" and "prioritising retaining a large layer of executive management".He said a lot of the changes the trust had proposed "have been really unpopular within the community" and the turnout on Tuesday "was huge", with sixth formers, parents and other residents coming to show support."In negotiations with the trust, we raised the fact that the financial picture has changed quite significantly," Mr Timbrell added, referring to the 4% pay rise for teachers announced by the government and the investment in education proposed in the spending said the union was calling on the trust "to look again at the figures in light of that as well."More strikes are planned for next Tuesday and Wednesday. SAST said the plans were "designed to ensure long-term financial sustainability".It said similar issues were being faced "by many rural secondary schools, who are having to decide whether their sixth forms are sustainable".It had also commissioned an independent report in conjunction with the Department for Education, which looked at ways to reduce costs "whilst maintaining educational provision". The schools already share an executive headteacher and operate in a joint sixth form."We believe that sixth forms should remain in our local communities, and we are therefore looking to share some leadership roles across the two schools to reduce overheads whilst encouraging collaboration between them," the trust added there had been "a full consultation involving staff and union representatives"."We have listened throughout and made considered adjustments in response to genuine feedback, while keeping our focus on what matters most — the experience and outcomes of our students." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Cleveland Police confirms new chief constable as Victoria Fuller
A deputy chief constable will step up to the top job after her nomination was unanimously Fuller had been named as the preferred candidate to replace Cleveland Police Chief Constable Mark Webster when he retires next area's police and crime panel, which is made up of elected and independent members, had the power to ratify or veto the Police and Crime Commissioner's proposed candidate, but said it was impressed with her "vision for the force".Mrs Fuller joined the force in May 2022, having started her career at Durham Police in 1999, where she served for 23 years. Chair of the all-party panel councillor Tony Riordan said she had been enthusiastic about continually improving the force during her hearing."We felt she impressed us all with her wealth of operational knowledge, her vision for the force and her passion for providing the people of Cleveland with a first-class police service," he chief constable Mr Webster had been appointed in 2022, and helped lift the troubled force out of special force had been described as "clueless" and was found to be putting the public at risk, before eventually being assessed to have made "significant" improvements by and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said: "She brings stability to Cleveland Police at a time when it is more important than ever to maintain the outstanding progress highlighted during the force's last inspection."Mrs Fuller is expected to take up her post in July when Mr Webster retires. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Cheshire East Council: Emotional tribute paid to councillor who has died
Councillors have paid emotional tributes to a Cheshire East colleague who died and held a minute's silence in their Hilliard, 37, who was an independent councillor for Wilmslow Lacey Green, died suddenly this were flown at half mast as the council's Highways and Transport Committee, on which Hilliard was a member as active travel champion, held a moment of reflection on Thursday night. Mark Goldsmith, chair of the meeting, was upset when he told members Hilliard had served the council and community "with dedication, integrity and passion." Leaders of the political groups on the council said Hilliard "genuinely wanted to make a difference" and would be deeply a joint statement, Labour group leader Nick Mannion, Independent group leader Michael Gorman and Conservative group leader Stewart Gardiner said: "Chris was dedicated to their role as ward Councillor for Wilmslow Lacey Green – a role they were elected to in May 2023 – and served with passion, kindness, integrity, and a deep commitment to the local community." 'Cared deeply' They said Hilliard had "passionately advocated" for an integrated transport system that "supports people to use more sustainable forms of transport".The statement added: "You could see Chris' passion through their interactions with both fellow councillors and the communities Chris served. "Chris will be deeply missed."Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with Chris' family, friends, and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time." Goldsmith told the meeting: "Chris cared deeply about helping others and cycling too, which is why Chris was our cycling champion."He said Hilliard had advocated for many of the initiatives discussed at the meeting, which is why it was not cancelled"We did not want to delay the hard work that Chris put into bringing these schemes to the committee," he said."Chris was also one of our youngest councillors and will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside them."Further tributes will be paid at the next full council meeting, which takes place in July. See more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC North West on X. For more local politics coverage, BBC Politics North West is on BBC One on Sunday at 10:00am and on BBC iPlayer.
