London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 25, 2025

China warns ‘b***h’ Britain about aircraft carrier sailing in disputed South China Sea

China warns ‘b***h’ Britain about aircraft carrier sailing in disputed South China Sea

State media urges UK to ‘stay at least 12 nautical miles away from Chinese islands and reefs’

China has warned Britain against provocation in the wake of Britain’s HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group approaching the South China Sea through the Strait of Malacca on Sunday.

“We seriously warn this group: They are obliged to remain restrained and obey the rules. Please follow the current international shipping lanes and stay at least 12 nautical miles away from the Chinese islands and reefs,” wrote state mouthpiece Global Times.

China’s defence ministry spokesperson, Wu Qian, said the country respected freedom of navigation but “the action should never try to destabilise regional peace, including the latest military collaboration between the UK and Japan”.

In its editorial, Global Times also emphasised that “the very idea of a British presence in the South China Sea is dangerous”. It added: “If London tries to establish a military presence in the region with geopolitical significance, it will only disrupt the status quo in the region. And if there is any real action against China, it is looking for a defeat.”

Issuing similar “advice” to Australia and Japan, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party regime said: “For the international community, first of all, there is a shipping lane in the South China Sea. And then there are territorial disputes between different regional countries. As for disputes, China and other countries in the region are working to reach a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to peacefully resolve or effectively manage those differences.”

It added: “Countries outside the region should only use the lane, instead of initiatively [sic] engaging in disputes.”

China has been closely monitoring the route of the carrier strike group which is currently on its way to Japan via the South China Sea. Beijing has also accused the UK of still living in its “colonial days”.


On his YouTube channel, the Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin resorted to more colourful language in his threats as he wrote: “To say it precisely, if the UK wants to play the role to coerce China in the South China Sea, then it is being a b***h. If it has any substantial move, it is asking for a beating.”

Ben Wallace, Britain’s defence secretary, has made it clear that they want to conduct what is called the “Freedom of Navigation” exercise through the South China Sea. The Royal Navy has also been carrying out exercises with Singapore’s and India’s navy.

Flouting a 2016 international court ruling, China has been claiming that much of the South China Sea belongs to its territory and has been building runways and reefs in an attempt to take control of the waters. Both the US and the UK have recently challenged these claims by China and have been “purposely” sailing through it.


The UK’s Ministry of Defence maintains that it is taking the most direct route freely through international waters to take part in exercises with allies. Mr Wallace had said in April that “we are not going to go to the other side of the world to be provocative. We will be confident, but not confrontational.”

The Global Times, meanwhile, wrote that: “Under international law, warships, including those of the US and its allies, have been able to pass through the South China Sea unimpeded. But if those ships want to exert geopolitical pressure and build a wall to contain China along those shipping lines, those warships will face a confrontation from China. And the intensity of the confrontation is bound to increase constantly.”

Drew Thompson, a former US defence department official, was quoted by the Guardian as saying “China doesn’t present a military threat to the UK. But this [strike group] is a model of collective security and of interoperability to deal with any kind of threat. China happens to be a significant one … but the implications are bigger than that.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×