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| HMS Richmond is a frigate deployed with Britain's aircraft carrier strike group. Taiwan's 23 million people live under constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which has vowed to seize the island one day, by force if necessary. (Photo by=AFP) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] TAIPEI: The Royal Navy said a British warship was sailing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday (Sep 27), a move that challenges Beijing's claim to the sensitive waterway and marks a rare voyage by a non-US military vessel, AFP reported.
"After a busy period working with partners and allies in the East China Sea, we are now en route through the Taiwan Strait to visit Vietnam and the Vietnam People's Navy," read a tweet from the official account for HMS Richmond, a frigate deployed with Britain's aircraft carrier strike group. Local media said it was the first time a British warship had transited through the narrow waterway separating Taiwan and mainland China. The British navy survey ship HMS Enterprise transited through the strait in 2019. The UK's defense ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment.
China's initial response to the British warship's passage was muted on Monday. "We hope the relevant countries can do more to build mutual trust between countries and uphold peace and security in the region," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters. Until recently, Washington was the main global power willing to sail through the Taiwan Strait. But a growing number of US allies have transited the route as Beijing intensifies its military threats towards Taiwan and solidifies its control over the disputed South China Sea.
