HMS Queen Elizabeth faces a high risk of “incidents” when it is deployed to the South China Sea, experts have warned.

It comes as China said recently that it would carry out "necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty", after it was confirmed that the aircraft carrier, which will be escorted by two Type 45 destroyers, two Type 23 frigates, a nuclear submarine, a Tide-class tanker and RFA Fort Victoria, would travel to the region in its first operational mission.

When Boris Johnson was foreign secretary in 2018 he said: “One of the first things we will do with the two new colossal aircraft carriers that we have just built is send them on a freedom of navigation operation to this area, to vindicate our belief in the rules-based international system, and in the freedom of navigation through those waterways which are absolutely vital for world trade.”

However, Charles Parton, OBE, senior associate fellow at Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) a British defence and security think tank, warned on Tuesday that as there are more sailings “through the South China Sea we will see more tensions around them, and therefore a greater risk of an incident”.

Meia Nouwens, senior fellow for Chinese Defence Policy and Military Modernisation at The International Institute for Strategic Studies, also told the Commons Defence Select Committee that China’s “development of submersibles and unmanned underwater vehicles present an added challenge”.

She said: “We know China is developing these capabilities. Where this goes … will be an added challenge in terms of how we deal with grey zone tactics.”

Ms Nouwens also noted “the uptick in tempo of exercises” being seen from China and warned that the greater number of air incursions from the People’s Liberation Army, both with different special mission and combat aircraft, was something the UK “should be careful of”.

She said so far there have been 44 incursions by the Chinese in 2021, which have been “multiple at both day and night time”.

Moreover, Ms Nouwens cautioned that the “vast uptick in types and numbers of these exercises really increases the risk of miscalculation, misunderstanding and misinterpretation, and that’s something we should be careful of.”

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 5:28 am Fabulous. So the British should just kneel before Xi and recognize the South China Sea as one PLA Lake that shall not be approached? And this coming from a British think tank?

This is the best training conditions! Sub tracking, multiple air threat tracking, determining capabilities of PLAAF, PLAN, this is first hand knowledge the British need.

As well as telling Xi he has the follow the same rules as everyone else.

Doc67 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 7:59 am Bit late aren't you?

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 8:14 am

Doc67 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 7:59 am Bit late aren't you?

Absolutely!!! When I clicked ‘Unread’ Posts and the ‘New’ Posts,
It was the first at the top of the stack.

I didn’t read the time stamp.

Wonder why the web version of CEO did that.

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 8:14 am

Doc67 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 7:59 am Bit late aren't you?

Absolutely!!! When I clicked ‘Unread’ Posts and the ‘New’ Posts,
It was the first at the top of the stack.

I didn’t read the time stamp.

Wonder why the web version of CEO did that.

hanno wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 8:38 am

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 8:14 am

Doc67 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 7:59 am Bit late aren't you?

Absolutely!!! When I clicked ‘Unread’ Posts and the ‘New’ Posts,
It was the first at the top of the stack.

I didn’t read the time stamp.

Wonder why the web version of CEO did that.

Same here, right on top of my "unread" feed.

General Mackevili wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 8:40 am

hanno wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 8:38 am

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 8:14 am

Doc67 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2025 7:59 am Bit late aren't you?

Absolutely!!! When I clicked ‘Unread’ Posts and the ‘New’ Posts,
It was the first at the top of the stack.

I didn’t read the time stamp.

Wonder why the web version of CEO did that.

Same here, right on top of my "unread" feed.

It might be now, since there's been new, recent replies, but no idea why this topic of all topics would be anywhere near CEO's homepage from 2021.

Spoiler:

Just blame NKOTB