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Aircraft carrier HMS "Queen Elizabeth"
Photo: Ana Brigida / AP
China claims large areas in the South China Sea.
The Chinese claims are about raw materials and strategically important islands.
The setting of boundaries is not recognized by all states.
As reported by the Guardian, among other things, several British warships are currently cruising together with the HMS “Queen Elizabeth” in the South China Sea - and are causing upset in China.
One should not try to destabilize regional peace, warned a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry.
The Chinese Navy will take "countermeasures" against such behavior, the spokesman said.
Newspaper: China's army in "highest combat readiness"
Chinese state media also criticized it.
For example, the Global Times wrote: “The very idea of a British presence in the South China Sea is dangerous”.
According to the newspaper, the People's Liberation Army was in "the highest level of combat readiness."
The BBC, however, quoted naval expert Sidharth Kaushal as saying that China's actions have so far been "well below the threshold of what could trigger a real war."
According to the Guardian, the "Queen Elizabeth" is currently en route to Japan together with two frigates and two destroyers, where the fleet is to take part in exercises with other allies.
Before that, there had been an intermediate stop during joint maneuvers in Singapore.
The British Ministry of Defense had recently repeatedly stressed in the report that it would only choose the most direct route through international waters.
"We don't go to the other side of the world to be provocative," said Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
A few weeks ago, US warships clashed with Chinese forces in the region.
China apparently had one
US destroyer, who, from Beijing's point of view, had approached the waters around the tiny Paracel Islands without permission.
The USA, on the other hand, wanted to enforce international law with the transit - as is now apparently also the case with Great Britain.
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