(Dan Tri) – China has loudly warned Britain about deploying its newest aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to the East Sea.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful warship ever built for the British navy (Photo: Getty)
`The Chinese side believes that the South China Sea should not become a competitive sea between great powers with the dominance of weapons and warships,` Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said at a press conference in Beijing.
Former British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson announced in February 2019 that the first operational deployment mission of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth would include the East Sea area.
According to Kyodo News, the British aircraft carrier and warship group will coordinate with US military forces and Japanese defense forces in the area near Japan’s Ryukyu Island `as early as early next year`.
Information about the presence of a British aircraft carrier in the East Sea was given in the context of China’s increasingly tough moves in the East and East China Seas, as well as tensions over Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The US in July officially rejected China’s unreasonable claims in the East Sea, and criticized Beijing’s illegal militarization actions in this sea.
In 2018, China reacted angrily when Britain sent HMS Albion, one of the Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ships, through the East Sea.
Meanwhile, China has repeatedly accused the US and its Western allies of stoking tensions in the region.
`The real source of the militarization of the East Sea comes from countries outside the region, when they deploy warships thousands of kilometers away to show off their strength,` said a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.
Mr. Tan also criticized NATO’s recent report calling on the 30 member countries of this military alliance to focus more on `security challenges` caused by China.
After nearly a decade of construction, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth first sailed for trials in June 2017.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the newest, most expensive aircraft carrier and the largest warship ever built in the UK.
In an interview with the newspaper `Telegraph` at the headquarters of the British Ministry of Defense in 2018, former British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said that the UK would implement plans to establish two new military bases in the Caribbean and the region.
Nick John