The UK is to permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters as London deepens its security ties with Tokyo.
Ben Wallace confirmed that HMS Queen Elizabeth and her escort fleet will transit international waters claimed by China later this year.
In a joint announcement by the defence minister and his Japanese counterpart, Nobuo Kishi, said: “Following on from the strike group’s inaugural deployment, the United Kingdom will permanently assign two ships in the region from later this year.”
The ships will split up for separate port calls to US and Japanese naval bases along the Japanese archipelago.
But they will not have a permanent base, a spokesperson at the British embassy in Tokyo said.
The Queen Elizabeth is being escorted by two destroyers, two frigates, two support vessels and ships from the United States and the Netherlands.
It will go to Japan through the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by China and South East Asian countries, with stops in India, Singapore and South Korea.
Despite China’s claims to sovereignty over most of the sea, Mr Wallace told The Times that Britain had a “duty” to insist on freedom of navigation.
He said: “It’s no secret that China shadows and challenges ships transiting international waters on very legitimate routes.
“We will respect China and we hope that China respects us ... we will sail where international law allows,” he added.
Mr Wallace went on to say that the world is in a more “anxious place, and as a result more on edge,” adding, “There is definitely a danger that that anxiousness tips into more aggressive measures, but I think we are still some way off a military conflict in Asia.”
