Britain clarifies it has no intention of provoking China, despite sending its carrier strike group through contested waters.
The United Kingdom has stressed that it does not plan to engage in a naval confrontation with China in the South China Sea. The UK’s Royal Navy, led by the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, is on a deployment that will pass through the contested waters from Singapore to the Philippine Sea, but British officials have assured there will be no provocative actions.
China had previously warned against any provocative behavior after the UK’s naval strike group entered the South China Sea, an area where territorial disputes over the Spratly and Paracel Islands continue to fuel tensions. However, British defense sources have confirmed that the Queen Elizabeth will steer clear of these disputed territories by “tens of miles,” and there are no plans to replicate past confrontations, such as the June 2021 incident in the Black Sea with HMS Defender.
The deployment of the UK carrier strike group, which includes two destroyers and two frigates, marks its first-ever mission to the Asia-Pacific region. Following the South China Sea passage, the strike group is expected to take part in joint exercises with the US, Japan, France, and Australia in the Philippine Sea as a show of strength.
Despite previous provocations, such as the 2018 HMS Albion incident near the Paracel Islands, the UK’s defense secretary Ben Wallace emphasized that the nation’s presence in the region is meant to be confident but not confrontational. This mission, alongside the future permanent assignment of two warships to the region, is viewed as a part of the UK’s post-Brexit strategy to strengthen relations with regional allies like Japan.
China’s state media, including the Global Times, has expressed concerns about the UK’s increasing military presence in the region, warning that it could disrupt regional peace. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has made clear that it will take necessary actions against what it views as provocation.
While the UK’s involvement in the region continues to draw criticism from China, even some of its allies, including the US, have questioned the practicality of Britain maintaining a significant naval presence so far from home, citing limited military resources.
