Navy shadows Chinese f lotilla in the Channel

THE Royal Navy scrambled a warship to shadow a Chinese flotilla as it steamed through the English Channel en route to the Baltic Sea to meet Russian vessels for manoeuvres.

The trio of Chinese warships passed through the Strait of Dover under the watch of the HMS Richmond, a Type 23 frigate, at the weekend. They then headed across the North Sea ahead of manoeuvres with Vladimir Putin’s navy, which begin on Friday.

China’s state-run Global Times newspaper said that the 052D, the country’s “most advanced guided-missile destroyer”, was taking part in the weeklong joint drills. Russian media said 10 ships would take part in the first phase of the exercise, joined by more than 10 aircraft and helicopters. The drills mark the first occasion that Chinese warships have carried out manoeuvres in the strategically important Baltic Sea.

The Chinese navy has just completed exercises in the Mediterranean, signalling a show of strength from Beijing, directed towards Nato, as it rapidly expands its military reach.