In a move that further escalates tensions in the region, a US destroyer and Canadian frigate sailed together through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. This joint mission comes less than a week after China concluded a new round of military exercises around Taiwan, which Beijing described as a warning against “separatist acts.”
China reacted strongly to the US-Canada transit, labeling it “disruptive” and accusing the two countries of disrupting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced that its forces monitored and warned the ships.
However, the US Navy’s 7th Fleet defended the transit, calling it “routine” and in accordance with international law. They emphasized that the mission demonstrated the US and Canada’s commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations. “The international community’s navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited. The United States rejects any assertion of sovereignty or jurisdiction that is inconsistent with freedoms of navigations, overflight, and other lawful uses of the sea and air,” the 7th Fleet stated.
The Taiwan Strait is a strategically significant waterway, with China asserting its sovereignty over the region and claiming the strait as its own territory. Taiwan and the US counter this claim, asserting that the strait is an international waterway and that China’s claims are invalid.
This latest joint mission by the US and Canada, following China’s military exercises, highlights the increasing tension in the region surrounding the issue of Taiwan’s status. It serves as a clear signal of the US and Canada’s commitment to maintaining a strong presence in the Indo-Pacific region and upholding freedom of navigation principles.