- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Two US Navy Warships Transit Taiwan Strait - Report

© Wikipedia / U.S. NavyGuided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110)
Guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The US military said it sent two Navy warships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday as the Pentagon increases the frequency of movement through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China, Reuters reports.

"The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, said in a statement as cited by Reuters.

The two destroyers were identified as the William P. Lawrence and Stethem, Reuters report says.

Doss said there were no unsafe or unprofessional interactions with other countries' vessels during the transit.    

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said the US ships had sailed north through the strait, Reuters reports.

"U.S. ships freely passing through the Taiwan Strait is part of the mission of carrying out the Indo-Pacific strategy," it said in a statement.

Taiwan's armed forces monitored the transit and nothing out of the ordinary happened during it, the ministry said as cited by Reuters.

There was no immediate comment from China.    

READ MORE: US Navy Vessels Sail Through Taiwan Strait Despite Beijing's Past Warnings

In March the US reportedly sent the naval destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur and the Coast Guard cutter Bertholf through the Taiwan Strait to demonstrate the US' commitment to freedom of navigation operations in the region. 

This Mar. 6, 2016, file photo provided by the U.S. Navy, shows the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) sails in the South China Sea. China says it dispatched warships to identify and warn off a pair of U.S. Navy vessels sailing near one of its island claims in the South China Sea. A statement on the Defense Ministry’s website said the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam entered waters China claims in the Paracel island group “without the permission of the Chinese government.” - Sputnik International
Asia
US Navy Sails Ships Through Taiwan Strait for Third Time in Three Months
The US Navy continues to conduct freedom of navigation operations in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, which Chinese authorities consider a provocation. 

Mainland China has repeatedly called on the US to steer clear of the 110-mile-wide strait over concerns of military support being given to Taiwan. Although the island has been a self-governing nation since 1949, China has continually looked upon Taiwan as a wayward province needing to be brought back into the fold.   

The Taiwan Strait divides Taiwan from mainland China. Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of a united China. Relations between the two sides were cut in 1949 after the remnants of Chiang Kai-shek's forces fled to the island following their defeat on the mainland. Ties were partially restored in the 1980s.  

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала