China angered by British warship sailing as Taiwan raises alert level

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China's military criticised on Friday the sailing of a British warship through the Taiwan Strait as a deliberate attempt to "cause trouble", while Taiwan's president ordered monitoring stepped up in response to Chinese military activities.

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, though Taipei rejects that claim, has stepped up drills around the island over the past five years, including staging war games that have alarmed Taiwan, Washington and Tokyo.

Britain's Royal Navy said its patrol vessel Spey made a routine navigation through the narrow waterway as part of a long-planned deployment and in full compliance with international law.

China considers the strait to be Chinese waters, although Taiwan, the United States and many of its allies say it is an international waterway.

The Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said the Wednesday sailing of the ship was "public hyping", adding that its forces followed and monitored the Spey.

"The British side's remarks distort legal principles and mislead the public; its actions deliberately cause trouble and disrupt things, undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," it said in a statement.

"Troops in the theatre are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations."

Taiwan's government welcomed the sailing.

"The foreign ministry welcomes and affirms the British side once again taking concrete actions to defend the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, demonstrating its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters," the ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te ordered defence and security units on Thursday to step up their monitoring and intelligence efforts in response to China's military activities, which he said had not abated even as tension rose in the Middle East.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was trying to "latch onto a hot topic".

"No matter what they say or do, it cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China," he added.

On Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry reported another spike over the previous 24 hours in Chinese movements close to the island, involving 50 aircraft, concentrated in the strait and the top part of the South China Sea.

The ministry reported 24 more Chinese aircraft in Taiwan's vicinity on Friday, including Su-30 fighter jets.

A British warship last sailed through the strait in 2021, when the Richmond was deployed in the East China Sea en route to Vietnam. Chinese military followed it at the time and warned it away.

The latest passage comes as Britain and China look to mend ties, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to visit Beijing this year on the first trip by a British leader since 2018.

U.S. Navy ships sail through the strait around once every two months, sometimes accompanied by those of allied nations.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Joe Cash in Beijing; Editing by Saad Sayeed and Clarence Fernandez)