SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
US says naval destroyer sailed through Taiwan Strait
Taipei, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2023
The United States has sent a naval warship through the Taiwan Strait in a "freedom of navigation" operation days after China staged massive war games around the self-ruled island.

The USS Milius guided-missile destroyer "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit" on Sunday, the US Navy said, in the first US operation in the waters separating Taiwan from mainland China since January.

Beijing launched three days of military exercises around Taiwan on April 8 in which it simulated targeted strikes and practised a blockade of the island.

China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring the island under its control one day. It also claims the entire Taiwan Strait as its territorial waters.

The US Navy said the Milius had sailed "through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law".

The 7th Fleet shared images Monday on Twitter of crew looking out into the strait, one of the most crucial waterways in the world for international shipping.

"The ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State," the Navy said, adding that the sail-through demonstrated the US commitment to a free and open Asia-Pacific region.

"The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows."


- War games -


Beijing launched its drills around the island in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's recent visit to the United States, where she met with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.

On the final day of last week's drills, Taiwan's defence ministry said 54 Chinese planes crossed into Taiwan's southwestern and southeastern air defence identification zone (ADIZ) -- the highest recorded in a single day since October 2021.

That same day, the USS Milius sailed through waters claimed by Beijing in the disputed South China Sea.

The deployment triggered condemnation from China, which said the vessel had "illegally intruded" into its territorial waters.

Since the war games ended, Chinese warships and aircraft have continued to circle Taiwan.

On Monday, Taipei's defence ministry said it had detected four warships and 18 aircraft, four of which had crossed its southwestern ADIZ.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon had previously sailed through the Taiwan Strait on January 5, months after McCarthy's predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited the island.

The Pelosi trip sparked China's largest-ever war games around Taiwan.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
PLD Space selected as leading contender for ESA sovereign launch initiative
UK thermal satellite firm wins ESA contract to deliver real time climate and security insights
UK opens competitive bid for GBP 75 million orbital cleanup mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
China speeds up renewables building spree: report
French giant EDF will take 12.5 pecent stake in new UK nuclear plant
Major US teachers union teams up with AI giants

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
BlackSky expands Gen-3 access to bolster Ukraine-focused intelligence operations
Maxar secures $205 million in multi-year deals to boost space capabilities across MEA
K2 Space validates satellite systems in orbit and fires record-breaking thruster

24/7 News Coverage
The long slow death of Norway's wild salmon
Beijing decries 'discriminatory' ban on Chinese purchases of US farmland
China's 'new farmers' learn to livestream in rural revitalisation



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.