Prime Minister Johnson said Friday (May 21) that the first operational deployment of Britain’s flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, in Asia will demonstrate to countries such as the Chinese Communist Party that Britain believes in the international law of the sea.
Johnson said the carrier battle group will reflect British values and military capabilities.
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth will interact with more than 40 countries during its deployment to Asia through the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean and South China Sea to Japan. The deployment is expected to last about 28 weeks and span 26,000 nautical miles.
“One of the things we’re going to do is obviously show our friends in China that we believe in the international law of the sea and we’re going to demonstrate that in a way that’s assertive rather than confrontational,” Johnson told media who boarded the carrier at Portsmouth Naval Base in southern England.
The Defense Ministry previously said the deployment would strengthen defense partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, where the U.K. is committed to establishing a more enduring defense and security presence.
“We don’t want to turn anyone off, but we do believe that Britain has a very important role to play in upholding the rule of law with our friends and partners, the Americans, the Dutch, the Australians, the Indians and many others, in upholding this rules-based international system that we all look up to,” the British prime minister said.
FILE PHOTO: The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth takes part in an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings in Portsmouth, southern England, June 5, 2019.
Johnson had announced in March this year that Britain had reconsidered its place in the world order after Brexit and that the Indo-Pacific region would become a focus of British defense and foreign policy.
In response to China’s increasingly aggressive posture in the South China Sea and East China Sea, the U.S. and its allies have been conducting joint military exercises from time to time, in addition to freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea. on May 11, the U.S., Japan, France and Australia launched their first joint military exercise in southwestern Japan. Prior to that, U.S., Japanese and French forces held joint military exercises in Japan to enhance coordination and cooperation among allied forces. The U.S. and Japan have also expanded their defense cooperation.
The French Defense Ministry said French warships patrolled the South China Sea in February to highlight the freedom of navigation in international waterways. German officials have also said they plan to send warships to Asia in August and will pass through the South China Sea on their return voyage.
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