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The British Royal Navy vessels involved in a freedom of navigation exercise in the highly contested South China Sea were subjected to 'constructive kills' by the Chinese military, according to recently released details of the confrontation.
This aggressive action, a term indicating that a vessel has been virtually disabled or destroyed in a simulated strike, was carried out during a deployment aimed at asserting the right to free passage through international waters and rejecting China’s expansive claims over the sea.
An officer of the watch on the HMS Prince of Wales, Sub-lieutenant Rohan Lewis, recounted that the ship was ‘stalked’ by four or five Chinese vessels.
He described the situation as an attempt by the Chinese to ‘harass us… trying to get close.
They tried to push us a little bit to see how far they can go.’ The incidents were part of a sustained campaign of pressure, which the British force interpreted as a mutually beneficial training exercise.
A defence officer noted, ‘It’s mutually beneficial in training terms.
The more they practise targeting you, the more you understand how they operate.’ The deployment comes shortly after Beijing approved the construction of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, a fiercely disputed territory also claimed by the Philippines.
The British commitment to sailing through the route underscores an international resolve to challenge perceived infringements on international maritime law in the strategic and economically vital region.