Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

South China Sea Operations

Tuesday 12 May 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Royal Navy plans to continue operations in the South China Sea with NATO allies to uphold navigation rights.
  • Royal Navy collaborates with Royal Australian Navy on a near daily basis.
  • Tobias Ellwood called for an urgent meeting of the National Security Council to review competitors' activities.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Lewer Con Bury North
Defence
Context

The Royal Navy's plans and operations in the South China Sea are under scrutiny.

Question

Whether the Royal Navy plans to continue operations in the South China sea. The Royal Navy, along with other NATO allies, will continue to uphold the right of navigation across the globe.

Answer from Ben Wallace (The Secretary of State for Defence)

The Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy collaborate across the globe on a near daily basis. Only this morning, I had an hour-long conversation with my counterpart in Australia. The Type 26 Hunter-class frigate partnership has flourished through the Global Combat Ship user group.

Answered
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Q2 Tobias Ellwood Con Bournemouth East
Defence Foreign Affairs
Context

Countries like China and Russia are exploiting the global distraction caused by the coronavirus to advance their own agendas.

Question

May I ask him to call for an urgent meeting of the National Security Council to review our competitors' activities, which, left unchecked, could lead to serious conflict in the future?

Answer from Ben Wallace (The Secretary of State for Defence)

My right hon. Friend makes an important point that there are adversaries and competitors around the world seeking to use this horrendous outbreak not only to exploit our differences, but to further their ambitions. On the point about the NSC, the decision to call an NSC meeting is a matter for the Government Security Directorate in the Cabinet Office, the Cabinet and the Prime Minister.

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