A British warship is to sail through the South China Sea next month to assert the principle of freedom-of-navigation, the country’s Defence Secretary revealed on Tuesday.
In a move that is likely to irk Beijing, HMS Sutherland, an anti-submarine frigate, will set sail from Australia, taking a detour through through the resource-rich waterway on its way back to Britain. China claims all of the South China Sea as its sovereign waters, and has been busy militarizing a number of reefs and islets.
Britain’s Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, told The Australian newspaper that HMS Sutherland would “be sailing through the South China Sea and making it clear our navy has a right to do that.”
He would not say whether the frigate would sail within 12 nautical miles of any disputed territory or artificial island built by the Chinese, as US ships have done. He added, however, that: “We absolutely support the US approach on this, we very much support what the US has been doing.”
In January, Beijing said it had dispatched a warship to drive away a US missile destroyer which had “violated” its sovereignty by sailing close to a shoal in the sea.
Williamson said it was important that US allies such as Britain and Australia “assert our values” in the South China Sea, a marginal area of the Pacific Ocean that is believed to hold vast oil and gas deposits and through which US$5.0 trillion in trade passes annually.
While asserting his belief that the Donald Trump White House remains committed to Washington’s network of alliances around the world, he added: “The US is looking for other countries to do more. This is a great opportunity for the UK and Australia to do more, to exercise leadership.”
China in December defended its construction on disputed islands, which are also claimed by Southeast Asian neighbors, as “normal” after a US think tank released new satellite images showing the deployment of radar and other equipment.
In a separate interview with broadcaster ABC, Williamson warned of the need for vigilance to “any form of malign intent” from China, as it seeks to become a global superpower.
“Australia and Britain see China as a country of great opportunities, but we shouldn’t be blind to the ambition that China has and we’ve got to defend our national security interests,” he said.
“We’ve got to ensure that any form of malign intent is countered and we see increasing challenges – it’s not just from China, it’s from Russia, it’s from Iran – and we’ve got to be constantly making sure that our security measures, our critical national infrastructure is protected.”
Williamson is on a flying visit to Sydney and Canberra, in part to support BAE Systems’ bid to supply Australia with new frigates. In his interview with The Australian, he said: “Relations with China are fascinating. China offers great opportunities but it provides great challenges as well. We’ve got to have a mature approach to that relationship.”
With reporting from Agence France-Presse
Wait until China sails through the English Channel to assert the same principle of FON. Williamson of course would welcome it.
Complete waste of time, fuel, and money. It won’t make the slightest difference. And if the frigate’s propulsion system breaks down (like those Rolls-Royce engines aboard Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers) somewhere in the SCS, it will be a serious show of farce on a par with the embarrassing Asian trip by a US Independence LCS.
Do I do for business with China or do I wag my tail for Uncle Sham? The world is a-changing, and the Brits seem to have their knickers in a knot.
I think you do not know what is the principle of FON.
International community should to condem this communist nation for illigal occupation of islands in South China Sea’ that parts of the sea belong to the world not to china !!!
Russian ships navigate close to the US with no problems at all.
WHAT? YOU DONT SEE? CHINA WANT TO CHARGE FOR THE USE OF THE TRANFIC OF CONTAINERS WITH GOODS,FROM OTHERS COUNTRIES.
You moron: Anybody can sail through English Channel. It is not owned neither the Brits nor the French! It is too narrow and traffic is heavy. No one in their right mind would take big warship through it to show off!
Get this , dude! English Channel doesn’t belong to the English, Indian Ocean to India nor S.Cina sea to the the Chinese! Got it!
HMS Sutherland should be escorted by SeaTow so that it will eventually reach that horrid place, England. The poor English citizens have paid for for expensive junk, (the suckers).