China is urgently warning Britain against "flexing muscles" in and around its claimed territorial waters after the UK confirmed it is sending two warships to be permanently stationed off Japan to patrol Asian waters.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in the wake of the announcement earlier this week that Beijing "firmly opposes the practice of flexing muscles at China." His Wednesday comments to reporters further described that any 'permanent' UK military presence "undermines China's sovereignty and security, and harms regional peace and stability."
It broadly demonstrates that Britain has of late joined Washington in deepening its security ties with Japan at a moment tensions with China over Taiwan and other contested islands are at their highest in years. The US-UK military build-up appears centered on growing rumors of a near-future Chinese military move on Taiwan, also as the PLA military has of late sent unprecedented numbers of aircraft to breach Taiwan's Defense Identification Zone.
Earlier this summer China warned the Western allies - specifically the US, UK, and NATO that its military will not "sit by and do nothing" if "challenges" arise. No doubt Beijing will see any new US and UK 'permanent' military deployment off Japan as reason enough to act with its own 'muscular' deployment in response.
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