The Chinese military said it observed and alerted a US destroyer as it sailed through the Taiwan Strait today — another similar passage through the key waterway, which alarmed Beijing, reported "Reuters", quoted by BTA.
China claims sovereignty over democratically-ruled Taiwan and asserts jurisdiction over the strait. Taiwan and the US dispute this, arguing that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway.
The US Seventh Fleet said in a statement that the destroyer “Ralph Johnson” has carried out a routine crossing of the strait in accordance with international law.
The Chinese armed forces described the crossing as a “public scandal” and added that they had dispatched naval and air forces to monitor and warn the US ship and “deal with it in accordance with law and regulations”.
„The troops in the area remain on high alert to safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability,” said the Eastern Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said the ship was sailing through the strait in a northerly direction, and Taiwanese forces were monitoring the situation but did not notice anything unusual.
US warships and aircraft cross the narrow strait about once a month.
The Taiwanese government rejects China's claims to sovereignty and claims that only the island's population can decide its future, notes "Reuters".
Beijing has never given up its intentions to use force to bring Taiwan under its control.