U.K. warship makes rare transit via Taiwan Strait
The Hindu
China strongly condemns the move
The Royal Navy said a British warship was sailing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday, a move that challenges Beijing’s claim to the sensitive waterway and marks a rare voyage by a non-U.S. military vessel.
“After a busy period working with partners and allies in the East China Sea, we are now en route through the Taiwan Strait to visit Vietnam and the Vietnam People’s Navy,” read a tweet from the official account for HMS Richmond, a frigate deployed with Britain’s aircraft carrier strike group.
Local media said it was the first time a British warship had transited through the narrow waterway separating Taiwan and mainland China.
The 29th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP29), held at Baku in Azerbaijan, is arguably the most important of the United Nations’ climate conferences. It was supposed to conclude on November 22, after nearly 11 days of negotiations and the whole purpose was for the world to take a collective step forward in addressing rising carbon emissions.