Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Spey has transited the Taiwan Strait, reaffirming the United Kingdom’s commitment to freedom of navigation in international waters.
The British Office in Taipei confirmed the voyage took place on Wednesday, 18 June.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the transit, stating that the UK had once again “defended freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait with practical actions and demonstrated its firm position that the Taiwan Strait belongs to international waters.”
The Royal Navy’s previous passage through the Taiwan Strait occurred in 2021, when HMS Richmond, as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group, made a similar transit. That voyage drew sharp condemnation from Beijing, which dispatched military assets to shadow the vessel.
In a statement following the latest patrol, the British Office in Taipei noted: “Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international law and exercises its right to freedom of navigation and overflight provided by UNCLOS.”
The transit was also conducted “in accordance with the rights provided under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” it said, citing the legal status of the Strait as international waters.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry praised the operation as part of wider efforts by like-minded countries to uphold peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
However, China reacted with fury. State-run media reported that the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command monitored HMS Spey throughout its journey, calling the passage an intentional provocation.
Senior Colonel Liu Runke, spokesperson for the PLA Navy, accused the UK of “hyping up” the transit and described the move as a “distortion of legal principles and an attempt to mislead the public.” The PLA claimed the operation “undermined peace and stability” in the region and warned that Chinese forces would “resolutely counter all threats and provocations.”
Later, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman added that while China “respects other countries’ rights to sail through the Taiwan Strait,” it “firmly opposes any country using the name of freedom of navigation to provoke and threaten China’s sovereign security.”
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the self-governed island under its control. Taiwan strongly rejects this claim and maintains its de facto independence.
Despite China’s objections, international law including the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague affirms that the Taiwan Strait remains international waters. The UK, alongside allies, continues to conduct lawful operations there as part of a rules-based maritime order.
Thank you!
Now send the PoW CSG through
We no longer have a navy that rules the seas and we now need to choose our battles. This was a very stupid move at this time of global tensions. Spey was lucky she wasn’t seized and impounded. Moreover her crew’s needed here to shore up shortfalls that seem to be impacting t23 manning (Argyle).
I agree – this is tone deaf at best. I’m not sure we’ve demonstrated much of anything with this and only served to needle when it’s not necessary. The only thing this may achieve is to curry favour in Washington – there are other, better ways to do that.
Needle is the wrong word. We are making a point and will continue to make that point.
Freedom of navigation is important to everyone including China.
Agreed in principle but the timing seems off. There are currently 3 major ongoing conflicts involving nuclear states – it’s worrying that we’ve become accustomed to this state of affairs. Do we really want to be turning up the heat on another one at the moment?
This is anything but a needle. If the West wants free trade in the future, then the rights of passage are critical, and the RN must demonstrate it will not be intimidated. A joint Western naval presence in the Far East, alongside Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, must be increased in frequency so that China can receive the message that we will not be bullied. Regarding the issue of impounding naval ships, would you suggest that we do so when Chinese warships sail around our islands?
Nonsense. We are standing up for a rule which protects shipping throughout the world.
Agreed, it’s just a barely armed patrol vessel upholding the rights that everyone, including China, enjoys.
Lucky she wasn’t “seized and impounded”. Do you have any idea where this water way is?
Even if China claims to the Taiwan strait were observed it would only be in Chinas EEZ. She is almost a hundred miles from any territorial water under the 12 mile limit.
China would be declaring war on the entire world.
China is a signatory to the law of the sea, China is the biggest beneficiary of the law of the sea. It just needs to follow its own laws.
China can and often does sail up the English Channel and we have not right to stop them.
This is just some jumped up state media making a name for itself by making the Chinese government look like a***oles.
China claims Taiwan remains a part of China and claim therefore the Taiwan Strait is their territorial waters. Whether we agree with that or not, the point is China sees that strait as theirs.
Sending a barely armed vessel to make a point is in my view playing with fire and without firing a shot the Chinese could easily make an example and impound her and her crew!
China claims Taiwan remains a part of China and claim therefore the Taiwan Strait is their territorial waters. Whether we agree with that or not, the point is China sees that strait as theirs.
Sending a barely armed vessel to make a point is in my view playing with fire and without firing a shot the Chinese could easily make an example as outlined.
You seem to not understand how the law works or what China claims.
China does not claim the Taiwan straits even under its own exaggerated claims. The straits are too wide to be claimed under any kind of territorial limits.
It would be like the UK claiming the Atlantic because of the distance between st kilda and Bermuda.
Archipelago nations can claim extended territorial waters, however China has never filled the necessary claim at the UN.
China has on many occasions supported the right for peaceful navigation by all parties through the Taiwan straits.
There was zero chance of Spey being seized or impounded. China is not going board a UK warship unless it was actually trying to sail up the yangtse…
Have they got the means and capability? – yes, have they got the intent? – potentially. So therefore I’d judge it between unlikely and realistic possibility making this move a stupid risk with so little to be gained at a time when we need to keep China on side (Ukraine/ Iran/ CSG25/ Trump!).
To say zero chance is either ignorant or complacent. Not too different to many in the MoD.
This isn’t a rogue player like Iran picking up a RIB full of Matelots wearing ipods. I don’t think you quite get how serious a nation boarding a sovereign warship is? This isn’t the wild west, it isn’t lawless out there, though I reaslise it is fashionable now to imagine that we are essentially at war with everyone. These protests China are making are for domestic audience. Utterly inconsequential beyond that. There was no danger Spey would be boarded.
Utter rubbish. Spey is proving a point. That we can’t and won’t be bullied or intimidated when sailing in international waters. She’s doing nothing illegal. And the Chinese know it.
In our mind she’s doing nothing illegal. China believes this threatens its security. As for utter rubbish you need to read first “ I’d judge it between unlikely and realistic possibility making this move a stupid risk”.
You’re clearly Mr Complacent the same guy that believes 7 Squadrons of FGR4 is sufficient strength for the RAF.
This is exactly the type of thinking that allows nations to strong arm their neighbours and leads to conflict. It is in international waters. Freedom of navigation is essential for global trade and transit. It is in everyone’s interest to observe the law as it is written. China, like Russia, constantly project ill intent on the lawful actions of other nations, a telling interpretation. They condemn those legal actions because they have to be seen to be upholding their own absurd nationalistic and false claims – the laws they cite in their defence clearly state the opposite case. Why are you so intent on regurgitating Chinese apologia?
The idea that UK should be pulling back on our commitments to free international transit until we build up sufficient strength (..to what? Send typhoons to China?) is such a brain dead, self-sabotaging understanding of strategy. Keep our assets forward deployed, keep conducting lawful operations as is the right of all nations, stay vigilent, and continue to strengthen our military base and alliances. China would never impound a Royal Navy vessel while in international waters, it would be an unbelievably, and uncharacteristically, stupid blunder causing a major diplomatic incident, bordering on a declaration of war. Ignore the hysterical Chinese news cycle, and listen to some ambient music or something.
It’s a risk if she sailed into Chinese waters deliberately. But she didn’t. If the Chinese are threatened by a OPV in international waters.Then they have issues. Because your the guy who would be crying blue murder if a Chinese warship sailed through the English Channel unchallenged. Grow a pair
Word is, Spey is heading up the Yangtze next, on her way to Nanking.
Should get a warm reception.
Hope she has a cat called Simon aboard.
“Able Seaman Simon”, he might have been just a cat but he certainly wasn’t a Pussy.
Are you a cat women ? I’m more of a Joker.
“They say cats have 9 lives, I’ve had 12 already but I don’t know how many more I’ll have”.
Hi DM, haven’t seen you in a while!
How’s retirement going?
Hi mate.
Me?! Retirement?!
Not for a while yet mate. 😁
Huh, must have confused you with someone else!
In any case, how’s life? It’s a bit busy for me at the moment, I’ve got a solid week of sailing events with Uni open days at either end.
As busy as you, but for different reasons to you!
Chinas media strategy and psyops is laughable.
The British send an OPV with a 30mm cannon in it through a strait that’s filled with hundreds of ships, the best thing to do is ignore it.
By jumping around on state TV you just make yourself look impotent.
Now we look powerful despite the fact this is little more than a barely armed coast guard cutter.
“By jumping around on state TV you just make yourself look impotent”.
Could you not invite them to this site so we can engage in serious debate, maybe they’d change the error of their ways and see the World from another point of view ?
“Give peece a chance”.
I’m not sure the Chinese are into pees in the same way we are.
Don’t you just hate it when you think you Spalt a wurd rite and it poops up all wong ?
I blame the Chinese !
Are China a signatory to UNCLOS? Like other superpowers they don’t like global rules imposed on them by others, especially by the West. They ultimately want to rewrite them to suit themselves and their interests or not be beholden to them all. It’s going to be interesting to see if Europe steps up more to be the defender of the international rules based order more if the USA wanes, and as a counteract to China, Russia and North Korea. Hope its got the backbone for it along with other democratic countries. Not sure that the USA is going to disappear anytime soon either. They’re still a colossal power and getting a bit unleashed under Trump.
Yes China is a signatory to UNCLOS.
Yes, China signed in 1982. It sees the Taiwan straights as its own territorial waters, hence the text about respecting other countries rights of passage through its territory.
Not the right thread for it but has anyone seen that LM has submitted a proposal to the MoD for an integrated missile defence for the UK including THAAD and Patriot PAC 3 interceptors.
Personally I think this is a mistake. The ballistic missile threat is not yet critical and making a move to a US system will tie us in for decades and kill our own domestic potential.
Better to get involved with the Aster 30 NT project and consider and reviving Aster 45 as a true SM3 rival.
As the French did with SAMP T and FREMM we can combine the radar development with the new T83 radar BAE is developing.
Aster 45? Was there ever such a thing?
There was a proposal back in the early 2000’s for an aster 45 for an ABM role.
I agree with that assessment. Also, until there’s money to pay for it, we should be cautious about splurging. GBAD doesn’t seem to be an SDR priority and it might be too soon to degrade SDR priorities to pay for others which aren’t. If we hear that the UK commits to 3.5% all bets are off and GBAD is back on the table.
The problem is, there is a choice between something that exists and is a known cost/capability up against developing very expensive systems domestically in programmes that will take an unreasonably long time to deliver and will not be ordered in the quantities needed to be viable and keep production lines open. They couldn’t even buy much cheaper systems like Sky Sabre in sensible quantities.
Considering the funding issues that the Armed Forces face I would take the available capability for something more niche than a program that could be delayed significantly or cancelled due to cost. I’m not sure there is a full European Alternative to the THAAD/PAC 3 combo.
“respects other countries’ rights to sail through the Taiwan Strait,”
Isn’t this a change in China’s position as that right is dependent on the straits being international waters, which they wouldn’t be if Taiwan was part of China?
Please don’t take this the wrong way but, you seem to be “getting down that pub” earlier and earlier recently. It is a slippery slope you know. Before long, you will be dependent and needing your UKDJ fix as soon as you wake up. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Currently clean and vice free, trying to live my life without upsetting anyone.
“drink and be merry”.
China recognises the Taiwan strait as its own territorial waters, and respects other nations right to sail through its own territorial waters. So no change in position here.
UNCLOS article 17
Subject to this Convention, ships of all States, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
Neither side has committed an act of war, so what is there to be angry about?
Should the UK/ France post angry rants every time Someone we don’t like sails through the English Channel ?
Well if china sinks a couple it saves them being scrapped in the sdsr