Two US military vessels transited the Taiwan Strait from Sunday through early today, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement.
Records show that the transit marked the first time the US Navy has made the passage since US President Donald Trump took office last month.
The two vessels sailed south through the Strait, the MND said, adding that it closely monitored nearby airspace and waters at the time and observed nothing unusual.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The MND did not name the two vessels, but the US Navy identified them as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch.
The ships carried out a north-to-south transit from Monday to today, a US military spokesperson said.
"The transit occurred through a corridor in the Taiwan Strait that is beyond any coastal state's territorial seas," said US Navy Commander Matthew Comer, a spokesperson at the US military's Indo-Pacific Command.
The US 7th fleet did not publicize the passage via news release, as was standard during the administration of the previous US president Joe Biden.
The confirmations made by the US and Taiwanese militaries came after China made a statement regarding the US transit earlier yesterday.
The state-run Global Times quoted Li Xi (李熹), spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, as saying that PLA forces have "deployed naval and air forces to monitor the entire passage of the US vessels, effectively responding to and managing the situation."
"The actions of the US sent the wrong signals and increased security risks. The Eastern Theater Command remains on high alert, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability," Li said.
The US Navy, sometimes joined by allies, makes regular transits through the Taiwan Strait in what it calls freedom of navigation.
The last time a US warship transited the Strait was on Oct. 20 last year, when the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Higgins, along with Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver, sailed through the body of water.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his