A US warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, the American navy said, in the first such voyage since the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer conducted a routine transit through the waterway separating the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, the US Seventh Fleet said in a statement.
US warships periodically conduct navigation exercises in the strait, often triggering angry responses from China which claims self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Beijing views any ships passing through the strait as essentially a breach of its sovereignty — while the US and many other nations view the route as international waters open to all.
The voyage by the USS John S. McCain “demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”, the Seventh Fleet statement said.
“The United States military will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows.”
Taiwan’s defence ministry confirmed the journey without identifying the vessel.
The transit comes after two US reconnaissance planes and one jet tanker flew near Taiwan’s airspace on Monday, according to the ministry, which did not disclose their routes.
China has stepped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan since the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, as she refuses to acknowledge Beijing’s stance that the island is part of “one China”.
Last year Chinese military jets made a record 380 incursions into Taiwan’s defence zone, with some analysts warning that tensions between the two sides were at their highest since the mid-1990s.
Read more:
Chinese actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan needs response, says Biden adviser
Chinese warplanes serve as warning against foreign inference in Taiwan row
Myanmar coup may increase China’s influence in region, Japan defense minister warns
SHOW MORE
Last Update: Thursday, 04 February 2021 KSA 12:37 – GMT 09:37
