HMS Queen Elizabeth (front pictured earlier this week) has arrived in the South China Sea as Beijing threatens to 'expel' the British warships if they sail close to islands it lays claim to
Warzone/The Drive: British And Chinese Aircraft Carriers Both Underway In The Tense South China Sea
The British flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has entered the South China Sea for the first time.
Satellite imagery has emerged that indicates that the U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is underway in the South China Sea while the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy flattop Shandong is also in these waters, though the two ships look to be sailing on opposite sides of the disputed body of water, at least for now. The appearance of the British flagship in the South China Sea had been anticipated, but it still carries a significant message as the United Kingdom and its allies look to further challenge China’s expansive territorial claims in this region.
Using satellite imagery provided by the European Space Agency and NASA/U.S. Geological Survey, Twitter user @duandang appears to have located the two aircraft carriers in the South China Sea, separated by around 580 nautical miles of water. The Shandong looks to be underway just south of Hainan Island, where it is home-ported within a huge People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) base. Meanwhile, the imagery indicates that HMS Queen Elizabeth is between the coast of Vietnam, to the east, and the island of Borneo to the west.
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WNU Editor: Beijing is making its opposition to the presence of these British warships very clearly .... Beijing threatens to 'expel' British warships as Big Lizzie arrives in the disputed South China Sea (Daily Mail). More here .... China threatens British warships and vows hostile welcome in disputed sea (Mirror).