The US Navy said on Sunday that two US warships passed through the Taiwan Strait and were the first such attack since China conducted unprecedented military maneuvers around the island.
The trip comes after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei this month after tensions in the Taiwan Strait region reached a level not seen in several years.
The Navy said in a statement that the maneuver “shows the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
Following the visit of Pelosi, the third highest elected official in the US government, China reacted with anger and conducted several days of military exercises around the island.
Taiwan, which has an autonomous government and is home to 23 million people, lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which considers this democratically-administered island part of its territory and promises to one day take it back, including by force if necessary. .
Washington recognizes Beijing diplomatically through Taipei, but maintains de facto relations with Taiwan and supports its right to decide the island’s future.
However, Beijing considers Taiwan to be one of its provinces that has not been able to reunite with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War (1949).
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army reacted on Sunday, saying the US government “clearly exaggerated” the passage of ships through the Bosporus.
The spokesman, Colonel Shi Yi, said the Chinese Army’s Eastern Operations Command was “monitoring and alerting American ships throughout the transit and is aware of their movements.”
“The troops of the (Eastern) department remain on high alert and are always ready to defuse any provocation,” he added.
“Freedom of Flight and Flight”
The United States 7th Fleet said that two Ticonderoga-class ships, the USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville, made “routine” transit in “waters where freedom of navigation and flight on the high seas under international law applies” on Sunday.
“These ships pass through a corridor in the strait outside of any country’s territorial waters,” the Navy said.
“The U.S. Armed Forces flies, sails and operates wherever international law allows,” the statement said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the passage of the two ships in a north-south orbit in a note.
“During the southbound journey through the Taiwan Strait, the (Taiwan) Armed Forces monitored all relevant movements in our air and sea space. The situation is normal.
Washington said its stance on Taipei had not changed and accused Beijing of threatening peace in the Taiwan Strait, using Pelosi’s visit as an excuse for military exercises.
Chinese maneuvers included launching ballistic missiles into the waters off Taiwan, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
Taiwan also held military exercises to simulate defense against an invasion with the participation of its main warplanes.
Threats against Taiwan became more intense under current Chinese President Xi Jinping.
source: Noticias
