Two warships, one American and the other Canadian, sailed Sunday in the Taiwan Strait which separates the island from mainland China, six days after military maneuvers by Beijing on this major maritime route, announced Monday the US Navy.
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The US guided missile destroyer USS Higgins and the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Vancouver “conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on October 20,” the US 7th Fleet said in a statement.
This operation “demonstrated the commitment of the United States and Canada to the principle of freedom of navigation for all nations,” added the same source.
It came six days after Chinese military maneuvers to encircle Taiwan. China had deployed its planes and warships, affirming that it would “never” abandon the option of “resorting to force” to conquer Taiwan, which it considers one of its provinces to be reunified. with the rest of its territory.
Washington and its allies regularly cross this 180 kilometer wide strait to reaffirm its status as an international sea route, which arouses the ire of Beijing.
On Monday, China said these movements had disrupted “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.
The Chinese military’s Eastern Command deployed “naval and air forces to monitor and remain alert throughout the transit, managing the situation in accordance with laws and regulations,” the captain and carrier said in a statement. -speaks Li Xi.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry explained Monday that the American and Canadian vessels had sailed “from south to north” of the strait and that the situation in the surrounding maritime and airspace had “remained normal”.
It also announced that it had detected 14 warplanes and 12 Chinese naval boats over a 24-hour period up to 6 a.m. (10 p.m. GMT Sunday).
On October 14, China said it wanted to send a “serious warning” to “separatists” on the island with its large-scale exercises.
Taiwan had in response mobilized “adequate forces” and placed the islands on its periphery on heightened alert.
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