Britain's defence secretary has talked down the prospect of sending warships to the hotly-contested South China Sea for freedom of navigation exercises.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday one of the first things the UK will do with two new aircraft carriers is send them to the area "to vindicate our belief in the rules-based international system and in the freedom of navigation" through waterways vital for trade.
But a day later, colleague Sir Michael Fallon sought to play it down.
The defence secretary said Britain had not yet confirmed any particular deployments.
"We've got several years ahead of us after the sea trials are completed and final fitting out of the carrier and then flying trials beginning at the end of next year," he told reporters in Sydney on Friday.
"But I've made it very clear we would expect our carriers to sail the seven seas and be available if required in this particular ocean as well."
It was part of the Navy's job to safeguard the trade routes on which Britain's economy depends, he said.
Sir Michael recently visited the country's newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, in Scotland where it is undergoing sea trials.
The UK's second big ship, HMS Prince of Wales, will be officially "named" in September.
