The French “Jeanne d’Arc” naval task force, integrated by British personnel and units, is heading for East Asia and the South Pacific. Paris and London say this five-month deployment is aimed at improving maritime cooperation between their navies. In reality, it can be read as a new initiative by the two European countries to support the United States in its freedom of navigation operations in the region against China’s military activism.
France and Britain are busy stepping up their naval presence in the Indo-Pacific area. The annual Jeanne d’Arc training and patrol mission sees the Royal Navy’s participation for the second year in a row. The task group consists of the Mistral-class helicopter assault ship Dixmude and the La Fayette-class frigate Surcouf.
Two Royal Navy’s Wildcat helicopters contribute to the task force’s flying force, which also comprises two French Gazzelles and two Spanish Cougars. French Navy personnel are supported by 40 Royal Navy and Royal Marine troops, 50 US Marines and a small Spanish crew.
Another French naval group is returning home from a deployment in the Indian Ocean. The Mistral-class amphibious assault ship Tonnerre and the Horizon-class air defense destroyer Chevalier recently concluded drills with the US Navy off the coast of Djibouti as part of the “Bois Belleau 100” mission. Further, the French frigate Vendémiaire visited Japan and trained with the local navy last month. It also conducted joint exercises with US and Canadian naval vessels.
A British warship is also already embarked on an Indo-Pacific tour. The Royal Navy has its HMS Sutherland, a Type 23 anti-submarine frigate, stationed in Australia, where it will participate in the “Ocean Explorer” war game with the local fleet. It will sail into the South China Sea on its way back home. As well, the frigate HMS Argyll will be sent to East Asia to take part in joint exercises with the Japanese navy later in the year.
Cooperation with China’s rivals
The Jeanne d’Arc convoy fleet will sail as far east as New Caledonia and French Polynesia, two French overseas territories in the South Pacific. It will make port visits to Jakarta, Bali, Darwin, Saigon and Singapore, and train with regional navies and US naval forces.
France and the United Kingdom contend that their engagement in the Indo-Pacific arena is guided by an interest in maintaining a rules-based international order
It is worth noting that the French-led task force will dock in countries at odds with China. Indeed Indonesia, Australia and Vietnam question Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea, though with varying degrees of intensity and for different reasons. Singapore is not a claimant to the disputed area, yet it is bolstering its security partnership with the US and India, which side with the Southeast Asian nations challenging Chinese territorial demands.
China is always critical of naval operations in the South China Sea by non-regional actors. France and the United Kingdom contend that their engagement in the Indo-Pacific arena is guided by an interest in maintaining a rules-based international order.
The two permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are also committed to safeguarding their systems of alliances and partnerships in the vast region. For instance, France is discussing with India the finalization of a logistic agreement that would allow French and Indian military forces to gain access to each other’s bases – Delhi signed a similar deal with Washington last year. For its part, Britain has berthing rights and a defense staff office in Singapore. Both London and Paris are deepening military cooperation with Japan and Australia too.
Keeping Beijing in check
Behind France’s and UK’s growing deployment in the Indian Ocean and Pacific waters, however, there is conceivably an effort to help the US keep China in check. In a nuanced manner, Paris and London are starting to denounce Beijing’s geopolitical expansion, which is now perceived on European soil as well.
In this respect, the prospective Quadrilateral (Quad) alliance among the United States, India, Japan and Australia to counter China’s military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific space could be extended to France and Britain.
The “Quad plus two” scheme, with the addition of British and French naval assets, has a notable potential, given that the military units of these six countries could operate in an interoperable way from the Red Sea and East Africa all the way to the Pacific Rim. Despite its increasing military and geopolitical capabilities, this is a concrete challenge for China.
Michael Bagala
May be True if india allows it !
But half of Sri Lankan population are of Indian origin
And Sri Lankan army army is at present is tooo small a one to threaten india even with Chinese and Pakistani support !
And China is not a big country to do that !it may be possible if it is america instead of China!!
Beto Perez, you may not be Chinese or communist; but for sure, you know nothing about the plight of people in Communist governments or what China is really all about. Educate yourself and you will not decide to stick up for odious conduct and peoples.
You’re so outgunned its not even fair. Shut up troll.
Jo Snow, what does that even mean? China has never owned the SCS and will probably push the issue to the point your countrymen will not even be allowed to swim in it from your shores. You’re such arrogant little piss ants.
Galen Linder, true. America does. A larger and more modern Navy than all other nation’s Navies combined. So having Great Britian and France sail with us is just icing on the cake.
Sivram Sivram
Another advantage of Sri Lanka is that she is an island in a strategic location. Military jets will fly over open sea to get to West Asia, South East Asia or Australia. They do not have to fear "no fly zones".
Sivram Sivram
If Sri Lanka’s ports are developed to accommodate navies, her location closer to the equator and its strategic position is taken into issue missiles launched from Sri lanka effects every nation from Australia in the South, India to the North, West Asia and South East Asia.
Fully developed Sri Lanka draws a good deal of India’s military strenght to the south. India takes the relative underdevelopment of Sri Lanka as a safeguard and does not want that nation to fully develop her military might. Imagine Sri Lanka as a nuclear power. South India will be suddenly open to attack and that requires New Delhi to sacrifice troops at her northern borders to deal with Sri Lanka. In that sense I can see Sri Lanka against India’s might.
What are these countries thinking? Do they seriously propose that China has any interest in a naval duel in the Indian Ocean?
Fröit Mi
This is not 1840, and Brittania no longer rules the waves.
Can Sri Lanka do it against india!
Kevin Maricon McCain, tiuleylomo
China will never forget what these white devils have done to the Chinese people more than a century ago in the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion. The inutile Manchu regime that ruled China then was no match to the guns and cannons of these hairy neanderthals. That was China’s greatest shame in it’s thousand years of history, and it will never happen again! Don’t mess with the Chinese, if you don’t want a taste of chopsuey, english porridge, sushi, and french wine mixed together! By the way, let me remind you that, "THE GREATEST SKILL IN WAR IS TO DEFEAT YOUR ENEMY WITHOUT FIGHTING"!
Shawn Napper : "The crass ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity of the corrupt Ching rulers and impotent rank and file officials prior to the Opium Wars was legendary." you say? Well, the current regime might play its cards more shrewdly than the Qin used to but that does not mean that China has renounced any of its old narcissism. It is just a pity that ‘ crassly ignorent, arrogant and stupid’ could adequately describe the character of US (so called) leadership.
Shawn Napper : "The crass ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity of the corrupt Ching rulers and impotent rank and file officials prior to the Opium Wars was legendary." you say? Well, the current regime might play its cards more shrewdly than the Qin used to but that does not mean that China has renounced any of its old narcissism. It is just a pity that ‘ crassly ignorent, arrogant and stupid’ could adequately describe the character of US (so called) leadership.
Unfortunately when China got stronger economically and militarily then it start bullying their neighbors especially in SCS. Sooner than later many other Asian countries will against China territorial claim.
Westerners should wake up to the fact that , they are not dealing with a 19th to early 20th century China of the Qing Dynasty . It’s the 21st century now , and your gunboat diplomacy ( disguised as FONOP ) no longer intimidates China . Go back home !!!
A whole lot of CCP sponsored trolls commenting in this post. They really crawl out of the gutter and spit venom when something gets them scared. You should be scared Chinese trash. The entire world is going to come raining down on your parade.
With a lot of big ships and sailed by people…
Pusah your horse over, so said the Chinese.
Whatever has to come has to come.
This is nothing surprising. China wouild be surprised if they do not clamour together.
Not that Chinese had not fought these European barbarians before. The Boxer clamdown by these evil powers in the 19th century and the ransacking of the Chinese Imperial palace of Yuanmingyuan are crystal memories.
Chinese would love to extract the much derserved revenge on these barbarians from Europe.
Please come more often.
The war has changed, especially the last year. America First has altered the geopolitical landscape. Every nation is scrambling to protect its own interest. Trying to form an alliance whilst at the same time going begging with hat in the hand speaks volumes of the difficulties involved. A lot of activities are for show, just to show your face around hoping for the best. The chaotic world affairs will rock along until a new equilibrium is reached, not so soon.