Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey transited the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, 18 June, in a move confirmed by both UK and Taiwanese authorities.
The British Office in Taipei stated that Spey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel, “conducted a navigation of the Taiwan Strait” in accordance with international law and rights provided under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). “Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international law and exercises its right to Freedom of Navigation and overflight,” the statement added.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the move, describing it as a reaffirmation of the UK’s commitment to the principle that the Taiwan Strait constitutes international waters. The ministry said Britain had once again “defended freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait with practical actions and demonstrated its firm position that the Taiwan Strait belongs to international waters.”
This marks the first Royal Navy transit of the strait since 2021, when HMS Richmond passed through en route from Japan to Vietnam as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group. That transit was met with condemnation from Beijing, which deployed military forces to track and monitor the ship.
China has again condemned the UK’s actions, with its ambassador to the UK stating previously:
“I would like to remind the UK side that China’s rights and interests in the South China Sea have been established in the long course of history and have solid and legal basis. The UK’s picking on China by making an issue of the ‘award’ of the South China Sea arbitration, which is illegal, null and void, will not shake China’s firm resolve and staunch will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
However, international law, as determined by a 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, rejected China’s expansive territorial claims, deeming them without legal foundation. The ruling reaffirmed that the South China Sea is governed by international maritime laws, including the principle of freedom of navigation.
Despite that ruling, China continues to assert control over large parts of the region, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of several Southeast Asian nations. The UK’s participation in freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs), including those by HMS Spey, is a direct challenge to what many allies view as unlawful maritime claims.
By carrying out these operations, HMS Spey and other allied vessels reinforce the rules-based international order at sea, demonstrating that no single nation can dominate international waters or unlawfully restrict navigation.
The latest transit comes amid a broader uptick in allied naval activity in the region. Earlier this year, warships from Canada, the United States, and Germany also passed through the Taiwan Strait. Such operations are viewed by like-minded countries as essential to preserving peace, stability, and free navigation in the Indo-Pacific.
The mouse that Roared! Well done, HMS Spey
In other news. I urge everyone who supports this forum to have a listen to the Sky News/Tortoise Wargame podcast. It makes for very sobering listening. The wargame is broken down in to 4 parts.
The scenario is that Russia uses a false flag event to attack the UK. The attack is a combination of ballistic and cruise missile strikes on key military targets. The podcast follows decisions made in Cobra and PJHQ from the false flag event and the events that follow. The Wargame also follows what the “Red Team” does.
“You couldn’t make it up”.
I tried. Couldn’t get on it.
“If your name’s not on the list, you are not comming in”.
Found it and listened to the first 10minutes. I will listen to the rest over the coming days.
I used to run a similar conference wargame when I was a defence analyst but it was set at the Joint Operational Level and we were looking and equipment capabilities… I was white team… So I am interested to see how it unfolds, not that’s for sure.
Cheers CR
We used to play “Cowboys and indians” if that’s any help. It never ended well if we were late for supper.
“Piou piou, woo woo woo woo, your dead i’m not”
Cheers HW
The cast of The Wargame. (L-R) General Sir Richard Barrons, Amber Rudd, Deborah Haynes, Baroness Helena Kennedy, James Heappey, Sir Ben Wallace, Lord Mark Sedwill, Jack Straw, Victoria Mackarness, Jim Murphy, Rob Johnson
Wow. What a cast! I’ve fired it up and am settling down for a good listen.
Hi DaveyB,
Just finished listening to Episode One – pretty accurate. I like the way Ben Wallace chooses to protect the RAF bases over London. Would be a tough call in real life, but highlights just what a start our defences are in. I hope plenty of people listen to it.
Well worth the listen.
Cheers CR
It’s very good, exposes a lot of truths that many here have long raised.
I did allow a wry smile when the Sky Defence correspondent Deborah Haynes in her narration describes a T23 frigate as being “equipped with radar for hunting submarines “, and RAF ” missile armed P3 aircraft “
And the UK would deliver 40-50 storm shadows to Ukraine to take out military targets in and around Moscow
If this is a scenario why aren’t the buggers in charge getting a more serious GBAD network happening asap for the UK? Do they need something real to happen before they do something? Don’t wait to be hit before you react, you mayn’t be able to get up! The type proposed 91 missile barges might be able to be linked into a landbased GBAD network as well as paired with ships. There’s obviously good stuff happening but there sure seem to some big elephant’s in the room.
Because in the minds of the bean counters in Whitehall the cost is more than the value of the lives it would save which is why there is a limited number to protect key facilities but nothing more. Keeping the UK safe is an expensive business but funding it would mean that no party implementing the required funding split would ever get reelected because currently we care more about other things and we will continue to do so until someone actually fires that first missile.
At that point we will start pointing fingers at those same politicians asking why they didn’t protect us properly. It literally is the Kobayashi Maru.
It’s also kind of worth remembering that the target list Russia will create is not just limited to the UK.
Russia is only capable of only doing minor damage to the UK without nukes and for an attack to happen there needs to be an endgame, what are they aiming to do.
Yes they could launch sub based cruise missiles but then what. Those subs would be hunted down by NATO and at least some of them would be sunk and any follow on would result in more. Best case for Russia is they take out a few power stations as that would do the most harm, potentially wipe out the raf on the ground but then what. There are still 20 odd countries between us and them.
Their air force if it tried anything would have a long way to fly and would be spotted by NATO well before they get here. They could do a surprise attack (assume at same time as the cruise missiles) but then they would be shot down on their return by other nato countries. Again what damage could they really do beyond token damage. Just look at the 3 years of it with Ukraine and the country is still standing, and that involves ground forces, which couldn’t be involved.
The issue is without a ground force, following up the attack it’s pointless, all it does is create all our war between NATO and Russia as the likes of Germany, France, Italy, etc would have to act in fear of being next.
Russia only chance is to get another trump/Boris likely Farage in place, someone that is under their influence, and continue with disinformation like they did to cause us to leave the EU at our harm. However all that can do is damage the countries interests, home and abroad, but can’t do anything that would result in Russia taking over. Brexit was 5-6% perm hit to GDP, painful but not serious.
The point of view of Russia in this podcast scenario, was to force a greater political divide throughout NATO. They were hoping that NATO’s political upheaval would slow down or even stop logistical support for Ukraine. Having someone like Trump in office with an “America First” point of view, along with a US military swing towards the Pacific, including the Presidential staff sowing discord throughout NATO. In this event, the US position emboldens Russia to act. They are betting that without the active support of the USA, they can get away with limited strikes on some NATO countries, initially under a false flag pretence and then under the pretence of being attacked as a reprisal.
The podcast is very good at showing how our Allies within NATO could react under this pretence. The question of would they believe Russia’s accusation of an attack orchestrated by the UK on their Naval Base. Or would they see through the lie? It would be easier for them to believe the lie, as it means they don’t have to get involved. What is also interesting, is seeing how much influence the US has on the NATO Sec Gen, with the call of answering an invoking of Article 5.
In real life a Russian Naval surface and subsurface flotilla would be monitored by NATO, but if Russia then launched. What would those NATO assets do? Article 5 has not been invoked and unless the attack is on that particular Country. The Rules of Engagement are very clear, for a NATO ship/aircraft unless they are directly attacked, they cannot do a pre-emptive attack or a reprisal unless their Government has given a direct order to do so. Once the attack has landed, things will obviously change. But it still requires NATO to agree that the attack justifies invoking Article 5.
not a warship!; it’s a patrol vessel!even the chinkies they are good and have covered many scenarios but ust know that but or me they go on for far too long and become boring. the narrator is a bit excitable
As the world gets increasingly dangerous have the govt/ MoD announced any new capabilities being bought yet – any new GBAD, fast jets, capabilities for the Bacchante Class (type 31), a new IFV?
No
Meanwhile let’s send a barely armed ‘ship’ through contested waters claimed by a superpower….what were they thinking? They’re lucky she wasn’t surrounded, seized and impounded.
This asset is wasted in the Pacific and her crew are needed here to crew the few t23s we have (as apparently we don’t have enough to man Argyle)!
The manpower situation is probably worse than made public that’s for sure but brining back to the U.K. two lean manned OPVs is not the answer, however, improving recruitment and retention is, and so is increasing the number of existing personnel that are actually deployable.
Personally, I think these OPVs have done a great job by allowing RN personnel the opportunity to see a large part of the world (good for retention and recruitment) and re-established a low key presence that can work with allies in the region. This does not counter the Chinese but it particularly helps reassure some of the smaller nations by providing suitable vessels for protection of their waters from illegal fishing as an example.
This is all at very low cost and I would keep them in the theatre whilst retaining all the new frigates coming into service in home waters except for future CSG deployments.
As for transiting the Taiwan strait in these vessels I would let the professionals make that decision but in some ways a lightly armed OPV is less provocative than a Type 45 whilst still making the point.
Excellent post Squire.
Met Keir Giles in Latvia. Solid bloke.
Not to be critical but it’s a misleading headline. It’s not a warship.
River Class OPV’s are 100% classed as Warships by the RN. Just because they don’t fit your personal definition does not make the UKDJ article wrong.
Nevis.
This “Warship” label is often used to describe military vessels with guns and military personel to which this particular vessel has both. This particular vessel is a bit of an afterthought/misfit/compromise/expensive gap filler/valuable skills retainer/usefull asset. But having been built, they have carved out a comfortable niche “Flying the flag” in far flung corners of this messed up planet, however, the “Grey area” surrounds their paint scheme which whilst predominently “Grey” tends to mark them out as “Warships” rather than “Cruise ships”.
Mr and Mrs (and various other labels) “General public” (“General” being non military) who are some way detached from all things defence related, will see the colour grey and maybe spot the “icle tiny” gun and if Daily Mail readers, might believe they are “Battleships”. This is why you have to come to specialist serious sites like this one to obtain the facts from specialists and serious people.
Where it all gets a bit messy is when these ships are not actually “At War” or “out there” doing important military stuff ( T45 HMS Daring for example) or if they are RFA assets (or RM assult ships ((retired)), )
Personally I don’t really see that it matters much in the grand scheme of things, as long as we have stuff out there doing “Warship” type things.
Cheers HW.
not a warship!; it’s a patrol vessel!even the chinkies they are good and have covered many scenarios but ust know that but or me they go on for far too long and become boring. the narrator is a bit excitable
What utter tosh!!!
George, you keep doing this, trotting out the same tired Chinese embassy quote, totally out of context, that has nothing to do with British ships in the Taiwan straits. You have done this several times before and every single time it was out of context. It’s bad enough when you use a dodgy headline (like the CSG is in the Pacific rather than the Indo-Pacific), but when the entire thrust of the article is without published foundation, you open yourself to charges of just making stuff up. I don’t know why you keep trotting out this same old line. If there’s real substance to the claim the Chinese are threatening the UK, publish what was said and by whom. Otherwise stop it! It’s beneath you.
HMS Spey navigated the Taiwan Straits and China said nothing, just like we say nothing when a Russian ship goes though the Channel. Right?
“Calm down love”.
“Worse things happen at sea”.
“Donate a coffee”.
Back at you with a bigger TOSH. These articles give flavour to international relations and also show what assets are being used for. China will always moan about any warship (its got a peashooter but is till a warship) traversing its claimed waters even though the limit is 12 miles from shore.
China is the a state with imperialist ambitions, its dotted line made up years ago as a claim to almost all their neighbours water in the South China sea.
Note to editor – if possible can you change spell check to UK, I don’t spell flavour as flavor or neighbour as neghbor, we are not the colonies 😂😁
I should have spelt neighbor correctly, now I’m correcting myself, I need caffeine
George has form on this, attatching a years old quote regarding a spat in the Phillippines to naval events. Lisa did something similar a couple of months ago. However, Craig just posted an article on the same incident as this one, and it has believable and relevant quotes. That allows us to make some sort of judgement as to what’s going on, and it’s what we should expect.
Flavour isn’t good enough, with or without a “u”. This is a news journal.
Ah yes Malcolm, but the colonies (including the USA) do spell Neighbour as Neighbor and even the Commonwealth of Australia has a Labor Party!!
Hi Jon. The difference is that when a Ruskie slips through the North Sea/ English Channel the UK recognises its right under International Law to do so whereas China flounts International Law in this and other instances so I think George’s take is legit
Russia is also navigating in baltic sea , international waters , yet estonia somehow made it legal to them selves to to target any russian ship in those waters , commercial or non commercial , yet here we are .. hypocrisy.
Quit whining Ivan 🤡🤣
Maybe if you stopped invading your neighbours, those neighbours wouldn’t feel the need to close their waters to you?
Of course your nice friendly ships don’t drag their anchors or anything do they?🙄
Good. Maybe we should also transit the Kerch straight into the Sea of Azov.
the movie wargames was pretty good