ISTANBUL

A navy ship belonging to the UK has passed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time since 2021, local media reported.

Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Spey sailed through the 110-mile-wide strait on Wednesday, according to the UK's representative office to Taiwan, the British Office Taipei, as cited by the local broadcaster TVBS World.

The UK representatives stressed that the River-class offshore patrol ship's passage was in full accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, reported the media outlet.

In a statement on Thursday, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said the ship's passage through the strait "once again defended the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait with concrete actions and demonstrated its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters," which the ministry "welcomed."

The ministry also called on "like-minded countries such as the UK to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and maintain a rules-based international order."

Separately, Taiwan's Defense Ministry Thursday said it detected 25 sorties of Chinese aircraft and 7 ships around the island, adding that 19 of the aircraft reportedly crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

They were detected until 6 am local time (2200GMT Wednesday), the ministry said on X.

A Japanese destroyer, the Takanami, passed through the Taiwan Strait last week, shortly after a Chinese fighter jet came dangerously close to a Japanese patrol aircraft above the Pacific Ocean, Kyodo News reported, citing diplomatic sources.

The incident occurred one day after Japan reported spotting two Chinese aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, operating in the western Pacific for the first time.

Japan has expressed "serious concern" to China, warning that the encounter could have resulted in a collision. China, however, has accused Japan of conducting close reconnaissance flights and ship movements.

The Taiwan Strait median line serves as an unofficial maritime border between Taiwan and mainland China, which Beijing rejects.

China considers Taiwan as its breakaway province, whereas Taipei insists on its independence.