A maneuver that has sparked anger in Beijing. A U.S. warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, August 22, a sensitive waterway separating the island from China, the U.S. Navy said, affirming that it was ensuring compliance with international law in the region.
“The Voyage of the Arleigh Burke-Class Guided Missile Destroyer USS Ralph Johnson “demonstrated Washington’s commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle,” the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, which operates in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, said in a statement Thursday.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and says it is ready to reclaim it by force if necessary. As a result, Beijing considers the Taiwan Strait to be part of its territorial waters, while Taipei and Washington claim it is an international waterway.
“Media circus”
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the ship sailed from south to north and that “no anomalies were detected in our environment.”
The Chinese military, for its part, called the transit a “media circus” and said its Eastern Theater Command “has mobilized naval and air forces to stand guard against the passage of the U.S. ship throughout the process.” Chinese troops “are constantly on alert to resolutely defend national sovereignty,” the command said in a statement.
Maneuvers that are multiplying
Already three weeks ago, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense had claimed that a Canadian frigate had crossed the Taiwan Strait, prompting the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to condemn this action, stating that “Canada’s actions have disrupted the situation and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Warships from the United States and Canada had already crossed the Taiwan Strait in November and September, leading the Chinese military to declare itself on “alert.” Chinese ships also sail almost daily in Taiwanese waters, according to Taiwan, which also claims to record sorties by drones and fighter jets around the island.