Warships sailing through the Taiwan Strait were routine transits, the US and the UK said on Friday after China voiced its disapproval.
“On September 12, the US destroyer Higgins and the UK frigate Richmond transited the Taiwan Strait and engaged in disturbance and provocation,” Chinese Senior Colonel Shi Yi (施毅), a spokesman for the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement on Friday.
The Chinese military “organized naval and air forces to track and monitor their transit throughout the process,” Shi said, adding that “the actions ... undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Photo: Screen grab from the Web site of Defense Visual Information Distribution System
Earlier on Friday, China’s navy said that its new aircraft carrier the Fujian, which is still undergoing sea trials, had passed through the Strait.
The US Navy and, on occasion, ships from allies, including Canada, the UK and France, transit the Taiwan Strait, which they consider an international waterway, about once a month.
Taiwan also considers it an international waterway.
Photo: Screen grab from the Royal Navy’s Web site
The UK on Friday said that the sailing of the HMS Richmond through the Taiwan Strait was a routine passage that was in compliance with international law.
“HMS Richmond’s navigation through the Taiwan Strait was a routine passage as part of Carrier Strike Group 25,” a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defence said.
The group, led by the HMS Prince Wales, is on a seven-and-a-half-month global deployment to the Indo-Pacific region that started on April 22.
“Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international law and norms, and exercises freedom of navigation rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the British spokesperson said.
The US Navy also described the mission as a routine transit.
“The ships transited through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state,” it said in a statement. “Navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited.”
Last week, Canadian frigate the HMCS Ville de Quebec and Australian destroyer the HMAS Brisbane also sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a move that was welcomed in Taipei by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It was the second time this year and the seventh time in less than three years that a Canadian warship transited the Taiwan Strait, and the first time this year that an Australian warship sailed through that route, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that it had detected 31 Chinese military aircraft and 13 Chinese naval vessels around Taiwan since early Friday — the highest number in a 24-hour period since May.
“Twenty-five out of 31 sorties crossed the median line [of the Taiwan Strait] and entered Taiwan’s northern, central and southwestern air defense identification zone,” it said. “We have monitored the situation and responded.”
Additional reporting by CNA
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS