Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) frequency and (b) cost was of freedom of navigation exercises through the South China sea in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019.

As part of the Royal Navy's persistent presence in the region, five ships have transited the South China Sea since April 2018, most recently HMS Enterprise in late 2019 and early 2020. These deployments have involved a range of defence engagement with regional partners, multilateral exercises and maritime surveillance including support for enforcing UNSCR sanctions on DPRK. These deployments also serve to reinforce our commitment to regional security and to upholding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The cost of this activity is met through the Defence budget. Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international laws, norms and rights to freedom of navigation provided for by UNCLOS.