On a rare Indo-Pacific deployment, a British aircraft carrier has moored in Singapore. During the trip, it will visit Australia, Japan, and Korea and participate in multiple multinational exercises.
The visit by HMS Prince of Wales follows weeks after two Chinese aircraft carriers, in a move that was unprecedented and sparked a protest from Japan, completed simultaneous manoeuvres in the area.
James Blackmore, commander of the carrier strike group, states that he does not anticipate confrontation with Chinese equivalents, pointing out that both China and the United Kingdom “have every right to sail its ships in international sea space.”
I’m very sure they’ll want to come and see what we’re doing. He tells the BBC, “A lot of other parties will want to see what we’re doing. However, I am aware that it will be both professional and safe. That’s how we do things in the marine industry.”
China had described the transit of another British vessel, HMS Spey, across the Taiwan Strait as an act of “intentional provocation” that “undermines peace and stability” just a week prior.
The two British warships that are always on patrol in the Indo-Pacific are HMS Spey and HMS Tamar. With a flight deck big enough to accommodate three football fields, the UK Navy’s biggest ship, HMS Prince of Wales, made her port call in Singapore on Monday.
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