Amid ongoing tensions over Taiwan, two US guided-missile cruisers crossed the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. This “underscored the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US Navy said. It was the first time US warships passed through the strait between mainland China and the island in days of Chinese military maneuvers of historically unprecedented proportions in the waters around Taiwan.
The ships were two guided missile cruisers of the US Seventh Fleet. Their “routine” passage was through waters “in which freedom of navigation and overflight on the high seas applies in accordance with international law”. “These ships pass through a corridor in the straits outside the territorial waters of coastal states,” the US Navy said.
Such operations usually last eight to twelve hours and are always closely monitored by the Chinese military. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and threatens all countries that maintain contacts with the democratically governed island republic with consequences.
Chinese troops on alert
From China, it was said that the US had “hunted” the passage of ships through the straits. The People’s Liberation Army of China monitors and warns American ships as they travel and is “aware of all movements,” an army spokesman said. The Chinese forces remain “on the highest alert” and are “prepared at all times to thwart any provocation”.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has confirmed the passage of the two US warships. “During their journey through the strait to the south, the military is monitoring all relevant movements in the sea and airspace around us, and the situation is normal,” the ministry said.
West makes Beijing angry
The US Seventh Fleet is based in Japan. It is a core part of Washington’s naval presence in the Pacific. The United States and its western allies such as Britain and Canada have recently increased naval transit through the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea to reaffirm their status as international waterways. In doing so, they aroused the ire of the Chinese leaders in Beijing.
Tensions between Beijing and Taipei, as well as between Beijing and Washington, had increased following a visit to Taiwan by US leader Nancy Pelosi earlier this month. After the visit, the Chinese military conducted its largest military maneuvers to date in the waters around the island and also fired missiles. Taiwan also held exercises and presented new fighter jets.
Since the split between China and Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has viewed the island as a breakaway territory that it wants to reunite with the mainland – by military force if necessary. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has raised fears that Beijing could use a similar approach in its relations with Taiwan.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
