[Jane's Defence: Chinese Frigate Tracks British Patrol Vessel During 'Freedom of Navigation' Operation]
According to a report published on May 6, 2026, by Jane’s Defence Weekly website (Janes), a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) frigate appears to have conducted tracking and surveillance operations against the Royal Navy’s coastal patrol vessel HMS Spey. This follows HMS Spey’s recent freedom of navigation operation near the Nansha Islands.
An image released by the UK’s Standing Joint Force via its official social media account on May 5 shows a large warship on the horizon, approximately 10 nautical miles away from HMS Spey, located ahead and to its port bow (i.e., left front).
Based on the vessel’s silhouette, it is almost certainly a Type 054A (Jiangkai II-class) frigate serving in the Chinese Navy, although the hull number cannot be identified from the image.
The Standing Joint Force statement said: “HMS Spey has just exercised its rights and freedoms of navigation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) near the Nansha Islands.”
The statement added: “The UK remains committed to international law and upholds a free, open, and stable South China Sea.”
The statement made no mention of the apparent presence of the Chinese Navy frigate.
However, given that the image was released alongside the statement, this suggests that despite the absence of textual reference to interaction, the passage of this British vessel occurred under close monitoring by Chinese naval forces.
HMS Spey is a River-class coastal patrol vessel, forward-deployed to the Indo-Pacific region as part of the UK’s sustained presence in the area.
Statement: The South China Sea and its affiliated islands have been China’s territory since ancient times.
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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864437006611465/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.