It's Britain and France's turn to challenge China in the East Sea.

China's clear ambitions in the East Sea make the world worried - Photo: Reuters

Here is a notable new development related to the East Sea:Britain and France - two permanent members of the UN Security Council - concretized their opposition to Beijing by unanimously following the US in conducting freedom of navigation patrols in the East Sea.

According to the French Minister of Defense, Ms.Florence ParlyA French task force, along with British helicopters and warships, will visit Singapore next week, after which the fleet will move "to certain areas" in the South China Sea.

Without directly mentioning China, Ms. Parly hinted that the fleet would enter "disputed waters" in the South China Sea and could potentially come face to face with "a military force."

“At some point, a stern voice would come into the radio and ask us to leave the ‘sovereign waters’,” Minister Parly described. “But our commander would calmly reply that he would continue moving forward, because according to international law, these are international waters.”

Ms. Parly emphasized that although France is not a party to the dispute in the East Sea, by conducting regular patrols "with allies and friends," France is contributing to a rule-of-law order.

"I believe we should expand this effort even further," the French minister said, adding that Europe was mobilizing broad support for patrols in the South China Sea, with German observers also present on British and French fleets.

The command and landing ship Dixmude is the third ship in the Mistral class to visit Vietnam on June 1. With the ability to carry many helicopters, and in the future even vertical fighter jets like the F-35, the French Navy's Mistral class is classified as a helicopter carrier - Photo: Duy Linh

French Ambassador to Vietnam Bertrand Lortholary stressed that as a country with the second largest exclusive economic zone in the world, ensuring freedom of navigation and aviation in the Pacific is in France's interests.

Speaking on the command deck of the helicopter carrier Dixmude, which is visiting Vietnam on June 1, Ambassador Lortholary affirmed: "As one of the five permanent member countries of the United Nations Security Council, France has the right and responsibility to ensure peace and stability in international waters.

In the context of the ongoing dispute between several parties in the East Sea, the presence of two French warships in Vietnam this time is an indication of France's goodwill and commitment to the responsibility of maintaining freedom of navigation and aviation in the region."

Ambassador Lortholary stressed that Europe in general and France in particular benefit from ensuring free and stable flows of trade in the Asia-Pacific.

For his part, British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson announced at the Shangri-La Forum that three British warships will be sent to the East Sea this year to "balance negative influences" and maintain long-term legal order.

"We want to be clear, all countries need to follow the law or face the consequences," Minister Williamson warned.

Present at Shangri-La, Beijing's representatives appeared quite calm about the British and French plans, commenting that the East Sea "is a free and open place for all, and there are no limits to freedom of navigation".

"But violations of China's sovereignty will not be accepted" - Lieutenant General Ha Loi - Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences and head of the delegationChinaadd

Another, Colonel Zhou Bo, director of the Center for Security Cooperation under the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said the question should be whether Britain and France intend to enter the 12-nautical mile zone around Chinese-controlled entities.

"Chinese entities are not located on normal international shipping lanes, so if they deliberately enter within 12 nautical miles, China will consider that action provocative," Mr. Zhou warned.