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Britain plans to send the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to the Pacific region, including the South China Sea, in early 2021 – Photo: AFP
“The Chinese military will take necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security and interests, as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei.
“The Chinese side believes that the South China Sea should not become a competitive maritime area between the great powers with the dominance of weapons and warships,” Tan added.
According to the newspaper South China morning post On January 1, Tan made the above statement when asked about British plans to send the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to the Pacific, including passing through the South China Sea, on the ship’s first mission.
Earlier, former British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson said that HMS Queen Elizabeth’s first mission would include the South China Sea. Japanese news agency Kyodo also reported that the aircraft carrier and escort warships could be coordinated with the US military and the Japanese Self-Defense Force near the Ryukyu Islands starting in 2021.
The HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful warship built by the British Navy, capable of carrying 40 aircraft. The ship was 280 meters long and weighed 65,000 tons, according to the page royalnavy.mod.uk.
In July 2020, Washington rejected China’s “unreasonable claims” in the South China Sea and criticized Beijing’s illegal militarization in these waters. At the same time, Washington also routinely sends warships through the area to challenge Beijing’s irrational claims.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government maintains that the United States and its Western allies want to provoke tensions in the South China Sea. “The real origin of the militarization in the South China Sea comes from countries outside the region, when they send warships thousands of kilometers from their homeland to show strength,” Tan said.
Tan also criticized a recent report by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), calling on its members to focus more on the “security challenges” posed by China. Mr. Tan said that China “opposes unsubstantiated speculation and false accusations” in the report.
“We hope that other parties can correct their prejudices and have a reasonable view of the development of China and its military,” added the spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense. affirming China’s defense policy is defense.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg once said that China’s rise poses “major security challenges.” “China does not share NATO’s values … and tries to intimidate other countries,” Stoltenberg said at the meeting to discuss the report on December 1.
