The most recent time this happened was in 2019, according to the navy, when Chinese ships were passing through British waters under British observation.
The Royal Navy has reported that two Chinese warships made an unusual transit through the waters of the United Kingdom while a British frigate was keeping a close eye on them.
As it travelled to and from Russia, the Chinese Navy task group passed through the United Kingdom twice in a span of three weeks, and HMS Richmond maintained a “close watch” on the group.
Monitoring foreign warships is a standard activity for the navy; nevertheless, it is much more frequent for the Ministry of Defence to publicise the tracking of Russian ships rather than vessels deployed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (Navy). This is more likely to occur when Russian ships are being tracked.
The Minister of the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, made the following statement: “These escorts are a clear demonstration of how the Royal Navy continues to protect the sovereignty of UK waters.”
The administration places a high value on collaborating closely with our allies in order to provide support for the security of the Euro-Atlantic region.
“I thank the crew of HMS Richmond for conducting a safe and professional transit and all they do to keeping our nation secure at home and strong abroad.”
The British warship kept a close eye on the Chinese destroyer Jiaozuo, which weighed 7,500 tonnes, and the supply ship Honghu, which weighed 23,400 tonnes, as they travelled back and forth through the North Sea and into the Channel.
Other warships, including a French destroyer and a Belgian naval patrol ship, were also assigned the responsibility of keeping an eye on the Chinese vessels.
“The Royal Navy demonstrates our commitment to the NATO alliance and to maintaining maritime security, which is crucial to our national interests,” said Commander Richard Kemp, who is in charge of HMS Richmond. “By maintaining a visible and persistent presence, the Royal Navy demonstrates our commitment.”
When the two Chinese ships first arrived in St. Petersburg, they travelled through the waterways of the United Kingdom on their route to take part in Russian Navy Day, which is an annual event that takes place at the end of July.
It was then a couple of weeks later when they came back. The Royal Navy did not provide any information about the return date in the statement that it released on Saturday.
According to the navy, Chinese ships don’t frequently sail through British territorial waters while under British observation.
The last time it occurred was in 2019, when Chinese vessels conducted a journey that was very similar to this one in order to attend the same naval event that was held in Russia.