Britain is right to send its navy to the South China Sea 

The Royal Navy and US Navy held joint exercises in the South China Sea last week, for the first time since China began building new military bases in those waters. The exercises sent a message to Beijing that it faces an evolving united front of nations committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in some of the world’s most vital waterways. The frigate HMS Argyll joined the USS McCampbell, a guided-missile destroyer, for nearly a week of drills and operations. This comes just a few months after HMS Albion conducted the Royal Navy’s first freedom of navigation operation last August near the contested Paracel Islands, drawing a sharp response from China.

London has repeatedly stated that the United Kingdom will increase its activities in Asian waters, in large measure as a response to the threat posed by China’s growing strength and militarisation of man-made islands in the region. Then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced in 2017 that the UK’s newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will steam through the South China Sea on its maiden voyage in 2021, conducting drills with the Japanese and South Korean navies.