China says warned U.S. warship as it transited Taiwan Strait
10:57 JST, May 11, 2022
SHANGHAI/TAIPEI (Reuters) – China’s military said on Wednesday that it had monitored and warned a U.S. warship that had sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a mission that happened shortly after China carried out drills near the island.
The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal conducted a “routine” Taiwan Strait transit through international waters “in accordance with international law” on Tuesday, the second such mission in two weeks.
The United States has been carrying out such voyages about once a month, angering China, which views them as a sign of support for Taiwan, the democratically governed island that Beijing views as Chinese territory.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement that its forces had monitored the ship throughout and “warned” it.
“The United States frequently stages such dramas and provokes trouble, sending wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces, and deliberately intensifying tensions across the Taiwan Strait,” it added.
“Theatre troops maintain high alert at all times, resolutely counteract all threats and provocations, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The U.S. Navy said the ship “transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State”.
“Port Royal’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said the U.S. ship sailed north through the strait, and that the situation in the waterway was “as normal”.
Late on Tuesday, the ministry said a single Chinese WZ-10 attack helicopter had briefly crossed the strait’s unofficial mid line, which combat aircraft from both sides normally avoid passing through, though China’s air force does on occasion do so.
It also reported that two Chinese KA-28 anti-submarine helicopters were spotted in an area roughly halfway between Taiwan’s southwestern coast and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top part of the South China Sea.
China’s armed forces carried out another round of exercises near Taiwan last week to improve joint combat operations, the People’s Liberation Army said on Monday, after the Chinese-claimed island reported a spike in activity.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson sailed through the Taiwan Strait on April 27, which China condemned, saying such missions “deliberately” harm peace and stability.
The United State, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is its most important international supporter and arms supplier, making it a constant source of tension between Beijing and Washington.
"News Services" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Christmas TV Movies Are in Their Taylor Swift Era, with Two Swift-inspired Films Airing This Year
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Ends Higher as Chip-Related Shares Track Nasdaq Gains (UPDATE 1)
-
Kadokawa Shares Surge after News of Sony Acquisition Talks
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Slips on Firmer Yen amid BOJ Rate Hike Bets; Logs Worst Month since April (Update 1)
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Ends Higher in Choppy Trade (UPDATE 1)
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Malaysia Growing in Popularity as Destination for Studying Abroad; British-style Education Available at Low Cost
- APEC Leaders Vow to Maintain Free Trade System
- ‘Women Over 30 Would Have Uteruses Removed’; Remarks of CPJ Leader, Novelist Naoki Hyakuta Get Wide Attention
- Ministry Eyes Improving Night-School Japanese Lessons; Aim Is To Help Foreigners Complete Junior High School
- China to Test Mine for Rare Metals Off Japan Island; Japan Lagging in Technologies Needed for Extraction