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The UK has angered China by passing one of its warships through the Taiwan Strait.
HMS Spey, a Royal Navy patrol ship, sailed on Wednesday through the waterway, which runs between China and Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.
Taiwan welcomed the patrol, the first by a British naval ship since 2021, as the UK defends freedom of navigation in the Strait in the face of growing Chinese aggression in the region.
A Navy spokesman said the long-planned deployment "was carried out in full compliance with international law."
But the People's Liberation Army of China accused the Navy of trying to "distort legal principles and deceive the public." It said its actions were "undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and the Strait, while the government in Taipei considers the waterway to be international waters.
The People's Liberation Army also said the ship was responsible for "public display" and that its forces had been monitoring its movements. "The troops in the theater are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations," it said.
In contrast, Taiwan's foreign ministry said it "once again affirms that the British side is taking concrete actions to protect freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait" and "demonstrates its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters."
Earlier on Friday, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it detected 50 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around the island between 6 a.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday local time.
The ministry also said 46 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering Taiwan's air defense identification zones.
Another 24 People's Liberation Army aircraft were spotted on Friday morning, including Russian-made Su-30 fighter jets and Chinese-made Shaanxi KJ-500s, 15 of which crossed the median line.
Taiwan "monitored the situation and deployed [patrol] aircraft, naval vessels and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities," its defense ministry said.
While Chinese planes and ships move around Taiwan almost daily, their numbers have averaged around a few dozen over the past two weeks.
HMS Spey is one of two British ships that permanently patrol the Indo-Pacific, although it is the first time in four years that a Navy warship has passed through the strait.
In 2021, HMS Richmond was deployed to the East China Sea on its way to Vietnam. The People's Liberation Army subsequently closely monitored the ship and issued warnings against its transit.
The passage of HMS Spey comes at a time when an aircraft carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, arrives in the region for an eight-month deployment.
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