China, Britain relations ‘sour’ due to warship and possible end of energy deals
- HMS Queen Elizabeth arrives in South China Sea with flotilla after taking part in exercises with Indian Navy
- Chinese embassy hits back at media report that London may cut China out of future nuclear power projects
“China receives friends with good wine and deals with wolves with a shotgun,” wrote Wu Shicun, president of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies, in an article commenting on the ship’s arrival. The article was published on Tuesday in the institute’s official WeChat account.
02:26
Britain’s new aircraft carrier joins Nato exercises ahead of Indo-Pacific voyage
“Exercising ‘freedom of navigation’ should not be the purpose of this aircraft carrier, which travelled thousands of miles to be here,” Wu said. If the ship entered within 12 nautical miles of Chinese-controlled islands, Beijing “must conduct countermeasures to let them pay the price, and prevent other countries from doing the same in the South China Sea”.
HMS Queen Elizabeth’s passage through the Singapore Strait came after its flotilla joined up with the Indian Navy in the annual Konkan exercise and the news that Britain plans to permanently deploy two patrol ships in the Indo-Pacific. China and many other countries have competing claims in the region.
London and Beijing have been at odds in recent months over issues including Hong Kong’s national security law and alleged human rights abuses against China’s Uygur Muslims.