The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales could transit through the contentious Taiwan Strait despite the risk of angering China.
Today the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) – a £3billion aircraft – will see British, Norwegian and Canadian warships set sail from Portsmouth for an eight-month tour.
While the Government has not confirmed the precise route of Operation Highmast, the Navy has not ruled out transiting through the 180km-wide Taiwan Strait.
Earlier this month China’s military conducted a live-fire exercise in the Strait to simulate strikes on key ports and energy facilities.
It is thought that Beijing is preparing for a full-scale invasion of the island.
But senior commanders aboard the 65,000-tonne warship have said they are prepared to take any route required on the mission.
Commodore James Blackmore, who is in charge of the UK CSG, told the Telegraph that the Navy would travel to the Indo-Pacific region in the coming months to ‘hold up international order’ – even if faced with threats of conflict for doing so.
He added: ‘I will deliver whatever mission I am ordered to go and do – that’s my role.
The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales could transit through the contentious Taiwan Strait
The ship will be accompanied from the navy base by Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless
They will then be joined by UK and Canadian frigates HMS Richmond (pictured) and HMCS Ville de Quebec, which are sailing from Plymouth
A guard onboard the Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec during exercise Trident Juncture 18 in Trondhein harbor, Norway
Senior commanders aboard the 65,000-tonne warship have said they are prepared to take any route required on the mission
‘My part of the bargain is being ready for all eventualities from a combat capability, from a defence engagement capability, from a partners and allies capability, so I’m ready to exercise whatever the Government or the Ministry of Defence asks me to do.
‘One of the purposes of being in the region is to hold up international order.
‘It’s demonstrating our commitment to that and reassuring our partners and allies. That choice of my routing will be taken by a much more senior Government level.
‘What I can reassure everybody is that I am ready to undertake whatever routing and mission I’m asked to do.’
HMS Prince of Wales, as the biggest class of ship in the Navy, is leading CSG 25 with the involvement of around 2,500 personnel from the Royal Navy, 592 from the Royal Air Force and 900 from the Army.
It will be accompanied from the navy base by Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless.
They will then be joined by two Norwegian vessels – tanker HNoMS Maud and frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen – as well as the UK and Canadian frigates HMS Richmond and HMCS Ville de Quebec, which are sailing from Plymouth.
Later during the deployment, as many as 4,500 military personnel will be involved in exercises in the Indo-Pacific region. Forces from Norway, Canada and Spain are among 12 other nations taking part in operations.
This is the second CSG deployment to the Indo-Pacific, with the previous one led by HMS Prince of Wales’ sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, in 2021.
But at the time, they avoided sailing through the Strait to avoid provoking China.
The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales will lead an eight-month deployment
The group could also face hostility when sailing through the Bab-el-Mandeb in the Red Sea
Earlier this month China’s military conducted a live-fire exercise in the Strait to simulate strikes on key ports and energy facilities
It is thought that Beijing is preparing for a full-scale invasion of the island
UK-China relations have slowly been warming under the new Labour government, with Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the Chief of the Defence Staff, meeting members of Beijing’s central military commission earlier this month.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves also paid a trip to Beijing this year despite protests from MPs calling on ministers to take a tougher stance on China.
If CSG avoids the Strait during this deployment, it could spark further outrage from those who feel the government is cosying up to China for the sake of a trade deal.
The group could also face hostility when sailing through the Bab-el-Mandeb in the Red Sea, where Houthi militants have been firing on merchant and naval vessels.
Cdre Blackmore said that they have the ‘ability to go and strike if asked to’ and were ‘ready’ to defend themselves if needed.
UK-China relations have slowly been warming under the new Labour government
Chancellor Rachel Reeves also paid a trip to Beijing this year despite protests from MPs calling on ministers to take a tougher stance on China
He said the deployment will send a message to any adversaries that ‘the UK has a capable and credible capability in its UK Carrier Strike Group if required’.
‘We are one of the few nations that can convene so many international partners, I think that in itself is a demonstration of stepping up,’ he added.
Defence Secretary John Healey called the mission an ‘immensely complex operation’ which sends ‘a powerful message of deterrence to any adversary’.
‘This is a unique opportunity for the UK to operate in close coordination with our partners and allies in a deployment that not only shows our commitment to security and stability, but also provides an opportunity to bolster our own economy and boost British trade and exports,’ he added.
