Despite what Britain’s Ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch said at a recent Heritage Foundation forum, the UK currently has no plans to dispatch two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers it is currently building to the South China Sea by 2020.
Darroch told the Washington-based conservative think tank on December 1 that British fighter aircraft would overfly the South China Sea and his country would send its new aircraft carriers there after being commissioned in 2020.
However, when reached by Asia Times for clarification on the ambassador’s remarks, a British Embassy spokesperson said that “the UK does not conduct Freedom of Navigation operations, although it will continue to exercise its right to navigate through internationally-recognized air ways and international waters as needed.” The spokesperson cited a recent example of “Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft transiting the East China Sea this fall on their way to and back from Japan, using recognized air ways.”
China claims vast portions of the South China Sea; its territorial demands are challenged by a number of littoral countries in the area and were in large part rejected by an international arbitration court last July – a ruling that, for its part, the Chinese government has always dismissed. Beijing is also at odds with Japan on the sovereignty of the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
The British Embassy’s accent on navigation through “internationally-recognized air ways and waters,” rather than on the future launch of “freedom of navigation operations,” ultimately upholds London’s current approach to the maritime contentions across the Pacific Rim.
In essence, Britain will not move away from its principled position on freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, to a less selective and more visible military presence in that vast body of waters.
There is a considerable difference between advancing the principle that territorial controversies in the Western Pacific have to be settled peacefully in accordance with international law, pointing out that sea and air routes in the region have to be kept open, and deploying next generation aircraft carriers in the contested waters.
The first policy is in fact relatively “manageable” by London, as it does not expose it to dramatic Chinese recriminations, while the second one would inevitably end up irking Beijing.
The Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers are the largest warships ever built for the British Royal Navy. With their fleet of F-35B Lightning II multi-role combat aircraft, they should provide Britain with a carrier strike capability second only to the US from 2020. Their stationing in the South China Sea would not be of marginal importance to the regional balance of power.
However, the prospect of London not joining America and Japan in freedom of navigation and overfly missions in the East and South China Seas should placate China.
Expected response
Earlier, Beijing’s expected response to Darroch’s remarks had come in a December 2 commentary from the official Xinhua news agency which stressed that it was not in London’s interests to meddle in the East and South China Seas, as it would jeopardize the UK’s blossoming economic relations with Beijing.
This served as an early warning for British leaders, who dealing with chaos caused by Brexit, the country’s exit from the European Union, and the consequent quest for a new international role. The foreign policy mantra in London is now “Global Britain,” which aims to boost the nation’s overseas projection and engagement, not least in economic and trade terms.
One of the pillars of this geopolitical re-positioning is Britain’s overtures to China, dubbed as the new “golden era” in relations between the two countries. It hinges on the massive influx of Chinese investments into the British Isles, like the participation of the state-owned China General Nuclear Power Company in the development of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
Between 2005 and 2015, China’s foreign direct investment in Britain was worth US$34.3 billion, making the UK the largest recipient in Europe. However, in 2016, Britain has slipped to fourth at US$3.8 billion, behind Finland, Germany and France, according to China Global Investment Tracker.
In the context of Brexit, Britain is eager to draw more capital from China, particularly to fund infrastructure projects in its northern region. But, given China’s marked unwillingness to compromise when its core national interests are at stake, and its attitude to lash out at anyone who crosses its red lines on territorial sovereignty, Britain will probably have to refrain from transposing the military dimension of its special relationship with Washington to the South and East China Seas if it wants Chinese money to keep flowing across the Channel.
India will be a much smaller dog but with much bigger mouth.
It seems it dawned on the good Brits that the Great Britain has become a small Britain especially after Brexit. So it is a good idea not to deploy these aging aircraft carriers unless there is the big boy the Yanks!
Share core values and like minded states sure are flexible.
Western press style immitated by Asian writers and reporters express attitude and opinion rather historical and political facts. The writers often speculate and draw erroneous conclusions based on tidbits of information from unreliable sources. Their intent is to increase readership and formulate public opinion which justifies their profession as a writer, journalist or reporter. However, they should be schooled first in decorum and how to accurately report without bias.
china will learn one way or another. Do they think they can take on 8 countries ? communist dog eating country is backwards.
18 aircraft carrier will toast up china so fast .. bring them back to reality by 2021
live free or get a wacking so hard u will wish u had not stolen our technology
turdy,your life seems filled with frustration and anger…i guarantee you it will get worse.
Profoundly saddened by the racist rhetoric posted on here.The truth is that all military operations by all countries around the world are purely to protect the financial interests of the political elite. All this nonsense about imperialism and such is a ploy designed by the super elite to ensure we all continue to feed the military machines and global conflicts with our sons and daughters to die and get maimed alongside the many more innocent civilians who are caught up in conflict. All in the name of nationalism and other weak arguments for war. Chinese, british, American, German and ALL soldiers die the same…… it is never dignified. they are neither heros nor cowards, they are victims! Some of you people on here are poor examples of humanity and should realise that your enemy are the politicians and industry elitists who play you like puppets. Your pathetic and ill informed. If you want to talk war like it is some game and indulge yourself and others in suffering try fighting the real enemy because they really dont give a toss about race, religion or national pride. They do however give a toss about their bank accounts………. give that some thought you mindless pricks!
Aaron, you Sir are a wise man.
Neil Balderstone , you may want to add that the Royal Navy is the ONLY navy in history that may have lost a battle, but has NEVER lost a WAR!!! and that in WW2 the chinese were supplied by both the UK and its comonwealth – note not empire, and the US.
If China have 6000 nuclear warheads What will US do
I’m still struggling to understand why Britain decided to not equip the carriers with catapults and trap wires. That means that they will be (eventually) equipped with the worst variant of the F-35 (the B marine variant) which has less range, speed and payload capacity than the C (Carrier) model. It also renders interoperability with American carriers inapplicable (even the French got that right). It really makes you wonder who runs the DOD requisition department. Is it the military or the bureaucrats?
You can understand how us brits are loathed around the world if you look at the history of the British empire.. but look, that was a good 100 years ago.. time to move on
This country has confronted its past and still try’s to make ammends to commonwealth countries by sending funds (yep, we still send nearly £200 million each year to India.. a country that I am sorry to say is rife with corruption… and even has its own space program.. go figure..), but it isnt perfect.. recent politicians have proven this.
Brexit has left us in a fairly precarious position that could benefit us long term, but at the moment we could do with all the freinds we can get…
We need the Chinese to keep paying 1000s to send this kids to study here, coming here on holidays and buying Burberry, Aston Martins & Twinning Tea
and I wonder if they listened? Justice and decency demands that you do not bait a friend or an enemy, you do not provoke or antagonise. You give everyone the opportunity to be that part of themselves that is honurable, just, decent and fair. Strange things the British. Not even they know that point at which they unite and defy. China knows that Tawian is a step too far for the world, but daily it edges closer to that unknown point where enough may decide to defy. We all know China to be amonsgt the most honorable and just of peoples, but all of us in times have been led by thoes who forget those values in pursuit of a momentary fantasy of glory. All too often such fantasies are led by the irresponsibility, the greed, the desperation and the utter immoralirty of our own media.
ageing? they are not even in service because they are being built lmao.
Jon Cook Due out sourcing and globalization, Western countries have exported air pollution and chemical contamination to China
The Royal Navy will continue to sail the oceans of the world , as it has always done. This is a nothing article.
Without satelites, these advanced aircraft carriers and their fleets are rendered inefective. It is the cyber warfare and the orbital space weaponry that will decide who is blind and who can see in a battlefield.
the new aircraft carriers might be scrapped as their will be no vtol aircraft available as trumph is about to cancell the well over budget program.and david cameron cancelled the conventional catipult system to late to change .on the plus side we should get a few quid back for scrapage.