Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government by Joel Gehrke
A trio of U.S. and British aircraft carrier strike groups are operating in disputed waters of the Indo-Pacific region, in a show of maritime strength tailored to needle China following the unveiling of a landmark nuclear submarine deal with Australia.
âChina’s position is very clear,â Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Monday. âWe hope some country can do more that helps to build mutual trust and truly safeguards regional peace and stability.â
The carriers have been crisscrossing the South China Sea throughout September along routes that highlight trans-Atlantic partnerships with Chinaâs neighbors. British officials put a fine point on the operations, as a British frigate tasked with escorting the HMS Queen Elizabeth announced that it would sail through the Taiwan Strait in defiance of Beijingâs claim to sovereignty over those waters.
âAfter 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,â the HMS Richmond tweeted Sunday.
That post provoked a heated response from the Chinese military, which denounced the âpublicity stuntâ as a dangerous sign of ill will. âThis kind of behavior harbors evil intentions and damages peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,â a Chinese Peopleâs Liberation Army spokesman said. âThe troops of the command are always on high alert to resolutely counter all threats and provocations.â
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. #CSG21 International by design pic.twitter.com/0bys9eYY42
— HMS Richmond (@HMS_Richmond) September 26, 2021
The British announcement came just days after an American aircraft carrier sailed in the vicinity of a Chinese survey ship that has spent the last few weeks in waters that Indonesia regards as its exclusive economic zone under international law. China claims those waters, along with most of the rest of the South China Sea, as its sovereign territory â without deference for the claims of neighboring states that are much closer to the disputed waters.
âUnlawful and sweeping maritime claims including in the South China Sea pose a significant threat to the freedoms of the seas, including freedom of navigation, overflight, and lawful commerce,â U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Dan Martin, who commands the USS Carl Vinson strike group, told Radio Free Asia on Saturday. “We’re not going to be coerced or forced to cede the international norms.â
The USS Ronald Reagan likewise has been sailing in the South China Sea over the last several days. British officials declined to send the HMS Queen Elizabeth through the Taiwan Strait out of a sense that âsuch a move by the aircraft carrier would have been viewed by Beijing as more aggressive than sending one of its escort ships,â according to the Times in London.
Yet Chinese observers nonetheless took it as a sign of the United Kingdomâs plans to operate as a force in the Indo-Pacific region alongside the United States.
âThe Royal Navy plans to send more fleets to the Asia-Pacific to meet Londonâs ambitions to resume Britainâs influence in the region,â Zhou Chenming, a Beijing-based military researcher, told the South China Morning Post. âLondon realized that the U.S. so far doesnât have enough warships to take care of the Far East area, so itâs a good opportunity for the Royal Navy to share the responsibility with the U.S.âs allies like Japan [and] Australia in the region to contain a rising PLA navy.â
That analysis is in keeping with a recent agreement to transfer U.S. and British nuclear submarine technology to Australia. The Australians are also agreeing to expand the U.S. military presence in their country in a bid to offset some of Chinaâs growing military advantages in the region.
âWe want to make sure that peace prevails in the Indo-Pacific, and [our conversations have] all been designed to continue that peace in our region,â Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said during a Pentagon visit earlier this month.
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