A US destroyer and a Canadian frigate crossed the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in the latest joint operation to bolster the route’s status as an international waterway.
Beijing claims rights to both Taiwan territory and the narrow stretch of water that separates the island from mainland China – one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
But the United States has long used “freedom of navigation” across the Taiwan Strait to resist Chinese claims, and Western allies are increasingly joining these operations.
The USS Higgins, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, in cooperation with the Royal Canadian Navy’s Vancouver-class Halifax frigate “conducted a routine passage through the Taiwan Strait on September 20, in accordance with international law”, said the US Navy.
“The ship transited through a corridor in the strait which is outside the territorial sea of any coastal state.”
Canada said HMCS Vancouver was about to join an ongoing mission to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea when it transited the USS Higgins through the Taiwan Strait.
“Today’s routine navigation through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said in a statement, using another term for the Asia-Pacific region.
A Chinese spokesperson described the crossing as “a public demonstration”.
“The troops are always on high alert, resolutely counter all threats and provocations, and resolutely uphold national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Colonel Shi Yi was quoted as saying by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
British, Canadian, French and Australian warships have flown over the Taiwan Strait in recent years, prompting protests from Beijing.
Western ships also often cross the South China Sea, another vital shipping area that Beijing says is under its sway, despite a 2016 Hague ruling that dismissed its claims, as well as those of several rival neighbors.
The last time American and Canadian warships crossed the Taiwan Strait was 11 months ago, when the destroyer USS Dewey and the frigate HMCS Winnipeg made the trip.
The latest joint crossing came a day after President Joe Biden again said US troops would come to Taiwan’s aid in the event of a Chinese invasion.
It was the fourth time Biden had made such comments, despite Washington’s longstanding official policy of “strategic ambiguity” – designed both to prevent a Chinese invasion and to discourage Taiwan from provoking Beijing into formally declaring independence. .
Each time, after Biden’s comments, the White House reiterated that there had been no change in US policy toward Taiwan.
“Freelance communicator. Hardcore web practitioner. Entrepreneur. Total student. Beer ninja.”
