UK warship transits Taiwan Strait for first time since 2019

Manoeuvre by the HMS Richmond comes amid China’s militaristic stance

UK frigate sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the first such passage by a British naval vessel since late 2019, as a group of nations led by Washington pushes back at Beijing’s military assertiveness.

The HMS Richmond transited the narrow body of water separating China from Taiwan yesterday on its way to Vietnam, according to the vessel’s Twitter account. Taiwan’s military is monitoring the area and is on top of the situation there, according to the island’s Ministry of National Defence.

When asked about the frigate at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that “relevant countries should do things to build mutual trust and uphold regional peace and stability.”

The move by London comes as China has been ratcheting up military, economic and diplomatic pressure on Taipei and President Tsai Ing-wen, who refuses to endorse the claim that democratically run Taiwan is part of China.

The Chinese air force has made more than 500 incursions into Taiwan’s air-defence identification zone so far in 2021.