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The Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Sun
China angered by British warship sailing as Taiwan raises alert level
BEIJING: China's military criticised on Friday the sailing of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait as a deliberate attempt to 'cause trouble', while Taiwan's president ordered monitoring stepped up in response to Chinese military activities. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, though Taipei rejects that claim, has stepped up drills around the island over the past five years, including staging war games that have alarmed Taiwan, Washington and Tokyo. Britain's Royal Navy said its patrol vessel Spey made a routine navigation through the narrow waterway as part of a long-planned deployment and in full compliance with international law. China considers the strait to be Chinese waters, although Taiwan, the United States and many of its allies say it is an international waterway. The Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said the Wednesday sailing of the ship was 'public hyping', adding that its forces followed and monitored the Spey. '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. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te ordered defence and security units on Thursday to step up their monitoring and intelligence efforts in response to China's military activities, which he said had not abated even as tension rose in the Middle East. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was trying to 'latch onto a hot topic'. 'No matter what they say or do, it cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China,' he added. On Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry reported another spike over the previous 24 hours in Chinese movements close to the island, involving 50 aircraft, concentrated in the strait and the top part of the South China Sea. The ministry reported 24 more Chinese aircraft in Taiwan's vicinity on Friday, including Su-30 fighter jets. A British warship last sailed through the strait in 2021, when the 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 as Britain and China look to mend ties, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to visit Beijing this year on the first trip by a British leader since 2018.
The Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Sun
China condemns British warship in Taiwan strait passage
BEIJING: China's military criticised on Friday the sailing of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait as a deliberate attempt to 'cause trouble', while Taiwan's president ordered monitoring stepped up in response to Chinese military activities. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, though Taipei rejects that claim, has stepped up drills around the island over the past five years, including staging war games that have alarmed Taiwan, Washington and Tokyo. Britain's Royal Navy said its patrol vessel Spey made a routine navigation through the narrow waterway as part of a long-planned deployment and in full compliance with international law. China considers the strait to be Chinese waters, although Taiwan, the United States and many of its allies say it is an international waterway. The Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said the Wednesday sailing of the ship was 'public hyping', adding that its forces followed and monitored the Spey. '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. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te ordered defence and security units on Thursday to step up their monitoring and intelligence efforts in response to China's military activities, which he said had not abated even as tension rose in the Middle East. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was trying to 'latch onto a hot topic'. 'No matter what they say or do, it cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China,' he added. On Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry reported another spike over the previous 24 hours in Chinese movements close to the island, involving 50 aircraft, concentrated in the strait and the top part of the South China Sea. The ministry reported 24 more Chinese aircraft in Taiwan's vicinity on Friday, including Su-30 fighter jets. A British warship last sailed through the strait in 2021, when the 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 as Britain and China look to mend ties, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to visit Beijing this year on the first trip by a British leader since 2018. U.S. Navy ships sail through the strait around once every two months, sometimes accompanied by those of allied nations.
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
China criticises UK navy ship transit of Taiwan Strait
BEIJING: China condemned Britain on Friday for sending a navy ship through the Taiwan Strait, saying the move had "undermined peace and stability" in the sensitive waterway. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and claims jurisdiction over the body of water that separates the self-ruled island from the Chinese mainland. Taiwan's foreign ministry said on Thursday that the British Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Spey sailed through the strait the day before, as part of a freedom of navigation exercise. China's navy hit back on Friday, accusing London of "publicly hyping up" the move. Beijing "organised troops to track and warn (the ship) throughout the entire journey, and effectively dealt with it," Liu Runke, a spokesman for the People's Liberation Army Navy's Eastern Theatre Command, said in an online statement. He said British statements on the transit had "distorted legal principles and confused the public." "Its actions deliberately disrupted the situation and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Liu said. China has repeatedly refused to rule out using force to seize control of democratic Taiwan. The HMS Spey was the first British navy ship to sail through the strait since the HMS Richmond, a frigate deployed with Britain's aircraft carrier strike group, in 2021. Taiwan's defence ministry said Friday it had detected 50 Chinese military aircraft around the island. "China respects the right of all countries to navigate the waters of the Taiwan Strait in accordance with the law," Beijing's foreign ministry said on Friday. "But we resolutely oppose any country conducting provocations and threatening Chinese sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation," spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing. Beijing has ramped up deployment of fighter jets and naval vessels around Taiwan in recent years to press its sovereignty claim, which Taipei rejects.
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Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
China sends scores of warplanes across central line in Taiwan Strait
China sent 74 warplanes toward Taiwan between late Thursday and early Friday, 61 of which crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that unofficially divides the sides, an unusually large number as tensions remained heightened in the region. It wasn't clear why so many planes were scrambled between late Thursday and early Friday, as tabulated by Taiwan's Defence Ministry. The planes were sent in two separate tranches, it added. China considers Taiwan its own territory and uses such deployments to advertise its threat to encircle and possibly invade the self-governing island. China also hopes to intimidate Taiwan's population of 23 million and wear down its equipment and the morale of its armed forces. On Thursday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed and welcomed the transit of the British Royal Navy's off-shore patrol craft HMS Spey through the Taiwan Strait a day earlier. The ship's transit, the ministry said, once again (reaffirmed the Strait's) status as international waters. Such transits by the UK and other like-minded countries are encouraged to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Foreign Ministry said. Britain's representative office in Taipei said in a statement that the Spey had conducted a navigation of the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law and rights provided under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international law and exercises its right to Freedom of Navigation and overflight, the statement added. China responded angrily, saying the Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army organised troops to monitor and guard the entire process and effectively responded and dealt with it". The British ship's action "deliberately disturbed the situation and undermined the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, the Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement. The bustling Taiwan Strait lies in international waters, but China objects to any transit or activity within it by foreign military vessels. It wasn't clear if the large number of Chinese warplanes sent on Thursday and Friday were related to the earlier sailing of the British ship. Six military ships accompanied the Chinese planes, which ranged from drones to fighter jets and early warning and other support aircraft. Taiwan deployed ships, fighter interceptors and land-based missile systems in response. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
China angered by British warship sailing as Taiwan raises alert level
China's military has criticized the British warship's passage through the Taiwan Strait, deeming it a deliberate attempt to destabilize the region. Taiwan welcomed the British action, asserting the strait's status as international waters. Amidst rising tensions, Taiwan's president has ordered heightened monitoring of Chinese military activities, while China maintains its claim over Taiwan. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads China's military criticised on Friday the sailing of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait as a deliberate attempt to "cause trouble", while Taiwan's president ordered monitoring stepped up in response to Chinese military which views Taiwan as its own territory, though Taipei rejects that claim, has stepped up drills around the island over the past five years, including staging war games that have alarmed Taiwan, Washington and Royal Navy said its patrol vessel Spey made a routine navigation through the narrow waterway as part of a long-planned deployment and in full compliance with international considers the strait to be Chinese waters, although Taiwan, the United States and many of its allies say it is an international Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said the Wednesday sailing of the ship was "public hyping", adding that its forces followed and monitored the Spey."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 President Lai Ching-te ordered defence and security units on Thursday to step up their monitoring and intelligence efforts in response to China's military activities, which he said had not abated even as tension rose in the Middle Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was trying to "latch onto a hot topic"."No matter what they say or do, it cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China," he Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry reported another spike over the previous 24 hours in Chinese movements close to the island, involving 50 aircraft, concentrated in the strait and the top part of the South China ministry reported 24 more Chinese aircraft in Taiwan's vicinity on Friday, including Su-30 fighter jets.A British warship last sailed through the strait in 2021, when the Richmond was deployed in the East China Sea en route to Vietnam. Chinese military followed it at the time and warned it latest passage comes as Britain and China look to mend ties, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to visit Beijing this year on the first trip by a British leader since 2018.U.S. Navy ships sail through the strait around once every two months, sometimes accompanied by those of allied nations.
