BEIJING (AP) – China on Thursday protested against the passage of a US destroyer through the Straits of Taiwan, as both countries increased their naval activity in the region.
China tracked down and monitored USS John S. McCain on Wednesday, Zhang Chunhui, spokesman for the Chinese military’s eastern theater commando, said in a statement.
The US move sent the ‘wrong signal’ to the Taiwanese government and “deliberately disrupted the regional situation by endangering peace and stability in the streets of Taiwan,” he said. China has strongly opposed the move and Chinese forces will respond with “strict precaution and vigilance”, he added.
China is threatening to invade Taiwan to assert its claim on the self-governing island democracy, which enjoys strong US support.
In a statement of one sentence, the U.S. Navy said the McCain did a routine transit of the Sea Strait on April 7 (local time) through international waters under international law. ‘
McCain’s voyage follows China’s announcement that its aircraft carrier Liaoning and associated vessels are holding drilling rigs near Taiwan, which are intended to help protect national sovereignty, security and development interests. to Beijing’s demands that it recognize the island as part of Chinese territory.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy announced that carrier Theodore Roosevelt and his strike group had re-entered the South China Sea on Saturday to conduct ‘routine operations’, the second time the strike group has entered the strategic waterway this year.
China claims the South China Sea almost in its entirety and strongly objects to foreign naval activities in the rich water resources, especially the American custom of sailing naval vessels near the Chinese functions, which it calls ‘freedom of navigation activities’. “
While the Strait lies in international waters, its passage through U.S. naval vessels is seen as partly symbolic proof that Washington will not allow Beijing forces to dominate the waterway.
Along with military exercises, China sends daily warplanes to the air defense identification zone in Taiwan to put pressure on President Tsai Ing-wen’s government and advertise its threat to military action.
It gave a statement by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Wednesday that Taiwan would fight a war if we had to wage a war, and if we had to defend ourselves until the last day, then we would be up to it. defend the last day. . “
The huge improvements in China’s military capabilities and its increasing activity around Taiwan have raised concerns in the US, which is legally obliged to ensure that Taiwan is able to defend itself and all threats to the island’s security as a to consider serious matter.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price reiterated at a regular briefing on Wednesday that, “Our commitment to Taiwan is rock solid.”
“We think and know that it contributes to maintaining peace and stability across the Strait and also in the region,” Price said. ‘The United States maintains the ability to resist violence or any other form of coercion. endangering the security or social or economic system of the people of Taiwan. ‘