Royal Navy aircraft carrier enters the Pacific for the first time in decades

The Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, has entered the Pacific Ocean by transiting the Strait of Malacca, marking the first visit to the Pacific by a RN carrier in decades.

“The arrival of the Carrier Strike Group in Southeast Asia is a clear sign that the UK is ready to work with friends and partners, new and old, to strengthen the security and freedoms upon which we mutually depend,” said Commodore Steve Moorhouse, commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, in a statement Thursday. 

The task group met up with vessels from the Thai, Malaysian, and Singaporean navies for passing exercises and manoeuvres along the way and is now headed north towards the South China Sea and Japan.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry made the following statement in response to the visit: “China hopes navy vessels of other nations abide by international law when sailing across the South China Sea, respect the rights and sovereignty of the coastal nations, and avoid actions that damage regional peace.”