A US and Canadian warship went through the area dividing Taiwan and China, a week after Beijing conducted large-scale military drills in the crucial waterway.
The United States and its allies frequently cross the 180-kilometer Taiwan Strait to cement its status as an international waterway, infuriating Beijing.
China’s Communist Party has not yet administered Taiwan, but it considers the self-governing island to be part of its territory and has stated that it will not abandon the use of force to take it over.
“The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit on Oct 20,” the US Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a news release.
“Higgins and Vancouver’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrated the United States’ and Canada’s commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle.”
China stated on Monday (October 21) that US and Canadian measures have damaged “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.
“The PLA Eastern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to monitor and remain alert throughout the transit, handling the situation according to laws and regulations,” military spokeswoman Captain Li Xi said in a statement.
Taiwan’s defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
On October 14, Beijing sent a record number of military planes, warships, and coast guard vessels to encircle Taiwan as part of the fourth round of massive drills in just over two years.
Taiwan mobilized “appropriate forces” and placed outlying islands on high alert in reaction to the exercises, which Beijing described as a “stern warning to the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces.”
In recent years, Beijing has increased military pressure on Taiwan, putting airplanes, other military aircraft, and ships around the island on a nearly daily basis.
Taiwan’s defense ministry announced on Monday that it has spotted 14 Chinese military planes and 12 naval vessels in the 24 hours leading up to 6 a.m.