Push Admin

British warship to sail through disputed South China Sea

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/12/26/southchinasea-122616.jpg"/><figcaption>An aerial view shows Itu Aba, which the Taiwanese call Taiping, in the South China Sea, November 29, 2016. Fabian Hamacher, Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>SYDNEY, Australia - A British warship will sail from Australia through the disputed South China Sea next month to assert freedom of navigation rights, a senior official said Tuesday in a move likely to irk Beijing.China claims nearly all of the resource-rich waterway and has been turning reefs and islets into islands and installing military facilities such as runways and equipment on them.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/08/18/ph-will-thank-china-for-artificial-islands-someday-roque">PH will thank China for artificial islands someday - Roque</a></li></ul><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/02/06/18/china-construction-continues-in-disputed-sea-think-tank">China construction continues in disputed sea: think tank</a></li></ul>British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said HMS Sutherland, an anti-submarine frigate, would arrive in Australia later this week.&quot;She&#x27;ll be sailing through the South China Sea (on the way home) and making it clear our navy has a right to do that,&quot; he told The Australian newspaper after a two-day visit to Sydney and Canberra.He would not say whether the frigate would sail within 12 nautical miles of a disputed territory or artificial island built by the Chinese, as US ships have done.But he said: &quot;We absolutely support the US approach on this, we very much support what the US has been doing.&quot;In January, Beijing said it had dispatched a warship to drive away a US missile destroyer which had &quot;violated&quot; its sovereignty by sailing close to a shoal in the sea.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/21/18/china-says-us-warship-violated-its-south-china-sea-sovereignty">China says U.S. warship violated its South China Sea sovereignty</a></li></ul>Williamson said it was important that US allies such as Britain and Australia &quot;assert our values&quot; in the South China Sea, which is believed to hold vast oil and gas deposits and through which US$5.0 trillion in trade passes annually.&quot;World dynamics are shifting so greatly. The US can only concentrate on so many things at once,&quot; he said.&quot;The US is looking for other countries to do more. This is a great opportunity for the UK and Australia to do more, to exercise leadership.&quot;China in December defended its construction on disputed islands, which are also claimed by Southeast Asian neighbors, as &quot;normal&quot; after a US think tank released new satellite images showing the deployment of radar and other equipment.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/25/17/china-confirms-reasonable-expansion-of-s-china-sea-islands">China confirms &#x27;reasonable&#x27; expansion of S. China Sea islands</a></li></ul><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/25/122517_fiery.jpg"/><figcaption>Fiery Cross saw the most construction over the course of 2017, with work on buildings covering 27 acres, or about 110,000 square meters. Image by CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe</figcaption></figure></div>Fiery Cross saw the most construction over the course of 2017, with work on buildings covering 27 acres, or about 110,000 square meters. Image by CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobeIn a separate interview with broadcaster ABC, Williamson warned of the need for vigilance to &quot;any form of malign intent&quot; from China, as it seeks to become a global superpower.&quot;Australia and Britain see China as a country of great opportunities, but we shouldn&#x27;t be blind to the ambition that China has and we&#x27;ve got to defend our national security interests,&quot; he said.&quot;We&#x27;ve got to ensure that any form of malign intent is countered and we see increasing challenges -- it&#x27;s not just from China, it&#x27;s from Russia, it&#x27;s from Iran -- and we&#x27;ve got to be constantly making sure that our security measures, our critical national infrastructure is protected.&quot;Australia has been ratcheting up the rhetoric against China in recent months, with ties tested in December when parliament singled out Beijing as a focus of concern when it proposed laws on foreign interference.<div>mp/grk/mtp</div><div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

SYDNEY, Australia - A British warship will sail from Australia through the disputed South China Sea next month to assert freedom of navigation rights, a senior official said Tuesday in a move likely to irk Beijing.

SYDNEY, Australia - A British warship will sail from Australia through the disputed South China Sea next month to assert freedom of navigation rights, a senior official said Tuesday in a move likely to irk Beijing.