A spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army has criticized the United Kingdom's offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey on Friday for deliberately disturbing the regional situation after it sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday.

Liu Runke, spokesman for the Navy of the PLA's Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement that the British warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and publicly hyped the event.

The theater command organized forces to closely monitor and respond effectively to the situation, the statement said, which was released on the official account of East China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy.

The UK side's remarks distorted the law and confused the public, with their actions deliberately causing disturbances and undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it said.

The troops of the theater command maintain a high state of readiness at all times and are determined to counter any threats and provocations, the statement said.