A Dutch NH-90 helicopter from HNLMS Amsterdam hovers beside Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond during an exercise. HMS Richmond is among the most tried and tested in the Fleet, having pounded Saddam Hussein’s defences on the Al Faw peninsula in the opening hours of the 2003 Iraq campaign, to providing vital aid in the Caribbean after Hurricane Ivan – the tenth strongest storm in history – steamrollered through a succession of islands in 2004. HMS Richmond has had a busy year so far. Setting sail in early February following a brief maintenance period in Portsmouth, the Ship’s Company put trainee submariners through their paces off the west coast of Norway whilst taking By Photo: L(Phot) Gaz Weatherston/MOD, OGL v1.0, (Wikipedia)
Taipei, — A Royal Navy frigate sailed through the Taiwan Strait alongside a U.S. destroyer this week, drawing sharp condemnation from Beijing, which labeled the move a deliberate provocation.
The UK’s HMS Richmond and the U.S. Navy’s USS Higgins carried out the transit in what both London and Washington described as a demonstration of international navigation rights. China’s Eastern Theater Command responded by dispatching naval and air units to monitor the passage, accusing the two vessels of “trouble-making and provocation.”
In a statement, the UK Ministry of Defence rejected Beijing’s claims, calling the voyage a “routine exercise.” The ministry emphasized that “wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international law and norms, and exercises freedom of navigation rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
12th September 2025.
Beijing.
The US destroyer Higgins and the UK frigate HMS Richmond transited through the Taiwan Strait and made provocative actions on September 12, 2025.
"The Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command sent its navy and air force troops to track and monitor the… pic.twitter.com/ijZsVZAYmu— Sense and Sensibility (@UNIT_Diplomat) September 13, 2025
The Taiwan Strait, a 180-kilometer-wide body of water separating Taiwan from mainland China, has become a frequent flashpoint as tensions rise between Beijing and Western allies. China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and regularly warns foreign militaries against operating in the area. The United States, supported by some allies including the United Kingdom, has increased naval patrols in the strait to challenge Beijing’s territorial claims and underline that the waterway is international.
This joint passage comes amid heightened strain in the region. China has stepped up military flights around Taiwan, while Western governments have voiced stronger support for Taipei’s autonomy. Analysts say the British participation underscores the Royal Navy’s growing role in the Indo-Pacific and London’s commitment to backing allies in safeguarding international sea lanes.
While the incident did not escalate beyond China’s verbal condemnation and military shadowing, it highlights the delicate balance of deterrence and diplomacy at play in the Taiwan Strait. Both the UK and the U.S. are expected to continue freedom of navigation operations, despite Beijing’s warnings.
For Taiwan, the transit serves as another reminder of its increasingly central role in global security dynamics. For China, it underscores its challenge in dissuading Western navies from asserting their presence in contested waters.
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