Two US Navy destroyers transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday, the second such mission last month.
In a statement, the US Seventh Fleet said that the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain and USS Curtis Wilbur conducted a routine transit in accordance with international law.
“The ships’ transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.
“The United States military will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” it said.
It was the 13th such transit by US warships last year.
The Ministry of National Defense confirmed the passage of the ships, saying in a statement that two US Navy destroyers passed through the Strait from the South China Sea before continuing in a northerly direction.
The ministry said that it monitored the movements of the two vessels and that the situation was normal.
US Navy ships have increasingly transited through the Strait following an increase in Chinese military maneuvers near Taiwan in the past few months.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense denounced the ship’s transit as a “provocation” and “a show of force,” adding that Chinese ships and aircraft trailed the two vessels.
The passage sent the wrong message to supporters of Taiwanese independence, and are a serious threat to peace and stability, it said.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army maintains a high level of alertness at all times, responds to all threats and provocations at all times, and resolutely defends national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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