US‑Canada naval passage in Taiwan strait sparks tension
Reports state that the Chinese military criticized the Sunday voyage of American and Canadian warships through the Taiwan Strait, calling it a "threat to peace."
The passage, described by the United States as "routine," occurred less than a week after extensive Chinese maneuvers around Taiwan.
The destroyer USS Higgins and the frigate HMCS Vancouver of the Royal Canadian Navy conducted a "routine" voyage through the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said in a Monday statement.
The vessels sailed through open sea, where "in accordance with international law, the freedom of navigation and overflight is upheld," explained the U.S. naval forces statement.
"The rights and freedoms of the international community regarding navigation in the Taiwan Strait should not be restricted," reminded the U.S. Navy.
The communist authorities in Beijing consider the roughly 81-mile-wide strait separating Taiwan from mainland China as their territorial waters.
On Monday, the Chinese People's Liberation Army "remains on heightened alert (...) and is determined to defend national sovereignty and security, as well as maintain peace and stability in the region," said Li Xi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command.
Statements from the U.S. and Canada came a week after China conducted large-scale military exercises in the waters surrounding Taiwan. The maneuvers, which were a response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's speech on the occasion of the national holiday, observed the activity of a record number of 125 aircraft, along with the aircraft carrier Liaoning and other warships. Lai emphasized his commitment to "oppose annexation" by Beijing.
The Chinese Communist Party has never formally ruled over Taiwan, but it claims the democratically governed island is an "inseparable" part of Chinese territory and a "rebellious province." Beijing has repeatedly stated that the Chinese military will "never" renounce the "use of force" to take Taiwan.
