A British Royal Navy warship will transit the South China Sea in March, according to remarks made by British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson on Tuesday during his visit to Australia. Williamson said the transit would assert freedom of navigation in the area, where six different claimant states disputed various islands and features.
The Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland, which embarked on a deployment to the Pacific Ocean earlier this year along with HMS Argyll, another Type 23 frigate, will transit the South China Sea while returning to the United Kingdom. “She'll be sailing through the South China Sea and making it clear our navy has a right to do that,” Williamson said, describing the Sutherland‘s planned operations.
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