Royal Navy warship ‘confronted by Chinese’

Beijing rattled as HMS Albion sails past disputed islands in show of support for US in South China Sea

By Chris Graham and

Dominic Nicholls

Defence Correspondent

CHINA has accused Britain of “provocation” after a Royal Navy warship sailed close to islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea. In a sign of

Britain flexing its military muscle, HMS Albion last week passed the Paracel Islands, where it was reportedly confronted by the Chinese military.

The Albion, a 22,000-ton amphibious transport dock carrying a contingent of Royal Marines, was on its way to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where it berthed on Monday after a deployment in and around Japan.

Beijing dispatched a frigate and two helicopters to challenge the vessel, but both sides remained calm during the encounter, a source told Reuters.

China said Britain was engaged in “provocation” and that it had lodged a strong complaint. In a statement to Reuters, the foreign ministry said the ship had entered Chinese territorial waters around the Paracel Islands on Aug 31 without permission, and the Chinese navy had warned it to leave.

“The relevant actions by the British ship violated Chinese law and relevant international law, and infringed on China’s sovereignty. China strongly opposes this and has lodged stern representations with the British side to express strong dissatisfaction,” the ministry added. “China strongly urges the British side to immediately stop such provocative actions, to avoid harming the broader picture of bilateral relations and regional peace and stability.”

A Royal Navy spokesman said: “HMS Albion exercised her rights for freedom of navigation in full compliance with international law and norms.”

A source told Reuters that the Albion did not enter the territorial seas around any features in the hotly disputed region but demonstrated that Britain does not recognise excessive maritime claims around the Paracel Islands. The Paracels are occupied by China but also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Dr Euan Graham, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute in Australia, said the move followed an earlier passage by a Royal Navy ship through the Spratly Islands. He said it was a clear indication of Britain’s support for the US, which has said it would like to see more international participation in such actions.

The Albion is one of three Royal Navy ships deployed to Asia this year, along with HMS Argyll and HMS Sutherland.

Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, said in June that their deployment would send the “strongest of signals” on the importance of freedom of navigation.

Dr Graham said the bigger test of the UK’S commitment to regional security was “about the consistency of its military presence into the future”. He added: “The Royal Navy is making encouraging noises about sending assets to participate in FPDA [the Five Power Defence Arrangement between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK] exercises, as well as forward basing in future.”