US And Canadian Warships Transit Taiwan

A US and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the US Navy said.

Report says this marks the second such joint mission since June and coincides with the leaders of both countries attending the G20 summit in India.

The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and Canada’s HMCS Ottawa conducted a “routine” transit “through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law.”

“Ralph Johnson and Ottawa’s bilateral transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US Navy added in a statement.

Meanwhile, China’s military condemned the transit as is usual with such missions, accusing the ships of carrying out “public hyping” in the strait, which separates Chinese-claimed Taiwan from China.

Taiwan’s government strongly rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.

The Eastern Theatre Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army said its forces monitored the ships and ‘handled’ the situation in accordance with the law and regulations.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the ships sailed in a southerly direction and that it had observed nothing unusual.

REUTERS/Christopher Ojilere