The Chinese military have carried out manoeuvres known as “constructive kills” around British Royal Navy ships and harassed an aircraft carrier as they passed through the disputed region of the South China Sea.
Frigate HMS Richmond was sailing through the Taiwan Strait earlier this month when it was targeted by fighter jets performing manoeuvres similar to those used during an attack, though they did not launch missiles, according to The Times.
Officers on board the ships, led by aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, reported being tracked and harassed by Chinese ships as they sailed through the disputed Spratly Islands.
“It’s them pretending to kill us,” said an officer on board the Prince of Wales. “They follow the path they would go on if they were launching at attack. They gain height, then pull away and turn at 50 degrees.
“It’s an infowar operation – they want us to know they’re targeting us. We were expecting a reaction, but not of a violent nature – we were confident that they wouldn’t really fire a missile.”
Trillions of dollars’ worth of trade passes through the waterway every year. China has turned some of the islands into military bases, but other states, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, have also claimed the region.
The ships are part of the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group and are taking part in Operation Highmast, a deployment involving nearly 4,500 British and international military personnel. The fleet has travelled through the Red and Mediterranean Seas, visiting Oman, Singapore, Japan and Australia along the way.
It is due to return to Portsmouth in early December following an eight-month deployment, having hosted diplomatic receptions, conferences and exercises with friendly nations including Canada, Italy, South Korea and the US.
Referring to the Chinese flypast, one Prince of Wales officer said: “It’s mutually beneficial in training terms. The more they practise targeting you, the more you understand how they operate.”
Sub-lieutenant Rohan Lewis, an officer of the watch on the Prince of Wales, told the publication that the ship had been stalked.
“The Chinese were trying to harass us, four or five of them trying to get close. They tried to push us a little bit to see how far they can go.”
The group’s transit through the disputed route was part of a freedom of navigation exercise designed to rebutt China’s claim to the South China Sea and to assert the right to free passage through international waters.
Earlier this month, Beijing approved the construction of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a hotly disputed territory that the Philippines also claims.
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