The UK is sending its new aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, to the Indo-Pacific region this month to send a message to Beijing. On Friday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the deployment will show China that the UK believes in the “international law of the sea.”
The US and its allies have been accusing China of threatening the so-called “rules-based order.” One example the West points to is Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, which the US challenges with dangerous military provocations by frequently sailing warships near Chinese-controlled islands.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to sail through the South China Sea while in the region. The aircraft carrier will be leading a large naval strike group that will be the largest British Navy deployment since the 1982 Falklands War. A US Navy destroyer will also join the British ships.
Sending such a large naval flotilla to challenge China is a provocative move, but Johnson insists it is not meant to be antagonistic. “One of the things we’ll be doing clearly is showing to our friends in China that we believe in the international law of the sea, and in a confident but not a confrontational way, we will be vindicating that point,” he said.
Considering the view from Beijing, a large naval deployment to the region is reminiscent of the Opium Wars in the mid-1800s, which led to the UK carving out Hong Kong as a colony.
Chagos Islanders Johnson…Do they not have rights to their Law of the Sea?
Thats the hipocracy of the british establishment
China: “Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing.”
“One of the things we’ll be doing clearly is showing to our friends in China that we believe in the international law of the sea, and in a confident but not a confrontational way, we will be vindicating that point,” he said.
Normally friends invite other friends over for diner.
How clever by half. He did not say UN Convention on the laws of the seas.
Translate this US/UK “adherence” to laws.
Both are determined to abridge rights of coastal states to their Extended Economic Zone — the extended rights on the commercial benefits of the sea. Typically, fishing and exploring mineral wealth of sea bed.
EEZ also stipulates that all commercial navigation through EEZ is free. As for military vessels passage it stipulates “innocent right of passage”. But to determine whether a military passage is “innocent” or not — countries have asked for notification that military vessels are passing. Type of innocent right of passage is — need for a shorter route to a destination. To avoid extra time and cost going from point A to point B.
US and UK are denying the right of EEZ countries to prior notification that military vessels will pass. This is not just in case of China. Recently, US snubbed India, pointedly denying India right to be informed prior to US military vessel passage.
US and UK are denying all countries the right to be notified.
US calls this “excessive maritime claims”.
This is why clever by half Johnson says — we come in peace! Kind of fulfilling the notification of “innocent right of passage”. Kind off.
Given the level of demonization of China and unsubstantiated accusations of human rights violations — why would China call this “innocent” right of passage? And passing from where to where?
Roaming around with military vessels at will through someones legally defined EEZ does not constitute “innocence”.
Trust Boris Johnson when he says “we come in peace”?
We all get it. China gets it. All countries get it.
What will be done about it? Probably nothing. Let them prance and waste oil, pollute oceans.
Until something happens. Where all vessels far away from home would be sitting ducks,
Lets see what happens when they try that in Russian waters Ukraine tried and they didn`t like Russias responce.
LOL jonhson still thinks Britannia still rules the waves , news flash boris the empire ended 70 years ago with the fall of Singapore because of Churchills incompetence.
Fools like Johnson are giving China no choice but to prepare for full scale world war and no one moves mountains faster and more efficiently then the Chinese. I would think things over very carefully before continuing with this game of Chicken that some western leaders think they can win.
Maybe they should attempt to send a gunboat up the Pearl River, just for old time’s sake?
LOL. Invite a Chinese nuclear-armed submarine to sail along the Thames.
Oh yeah? Well tell the US, which also has not ratified that Treaty.
This is the country the Defence Secretary of which has been whining that Russian submarines are circling the country.