TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The British Office Taipei, the United Kingdom's de facto embassy on the self-governed island, confirmed Thursday (June 19) that a Royal Navy patrol vessel had traversed the contested waters separating Taiwan from mainland China. Officials announced that the HMS Spey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday in a passage that carries significant geopolitical implications amid rising regional tensions. British representatives emphasized that the transit was conducted in full accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, underscoring the UK's commitment to operating within established international maritime frameworks.
British officials further emphasized that Royal Navy vessels have established a pattern of exercising freedom of navigation rights in the strategic waterway, a practice firmly grounded in international maritime law as defined by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 外交部), the island's diplomatic agency, expressed appreciation for the United Kingdom's tangible demonstration of support for navigational freedom through the 110-mile-wide strait. The ministry reiterated its longstanding position that the Taiwan Strait should be recognized as international waters, a view contested by Beijing, which claims sovereignty over both the waterway and Taiwan itself.
In a statement following the British naval passage, Taiwan's foreign ministry called upon the United Kingdom and other democratic partners to collaborate in preserving regional security and stability in the strategically vital waterway, which serves as a critical shipping lane for global commerce. MOFA officials underscored the importance of upholding the principles of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, a diplomatic framework championed by the United States and its allies to counter growing Chinese influence. The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to the rules-based international order, a system of diplomatic norms and legal frameworks that has governed international relations since the end of World War II but faces increasing challenges from authoritarian powers. ◼
