US warship in Taiwan Strait infuriates China

Washington, January 6

A US warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, part of what the US military calls routine activity but which has riled China.

Nothing out of ordinary: taiwan

• Taiwan’s Defence Ministry officials said the ship sailed in a northerly direction through the strait
• Our forces had monitored its passage and observed nothing out of the ordinary, said the ministry

In recent years, US warships, and on occasion those from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have sailed through the strait, drawing the ire of China, which claims Taiwan against the objections of its democratically elected government.

In a statement, the US military said the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon carried out the transit. “Chung-Hoon’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement added.

In a statement, Liu Pengyu, spokesman for China’s embassy in Washington, said China firmly opposed the move and urged the United States to “immediately stop provoking troubles, escalating tensions and undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

“US warships frequently flex muscles in the name of exercising freedom of navigation. This is not about keeping the region free and open,” the statement said.

“China will continue to stay on high alert and is ready to respond to all threats and provocations at any time, and will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said the ship sailed in a northerly direction through the strait. — Reuters