The Chinese military condemned the United States (US) and Canada for sending warships through the Taiwan Strait late last week, warning that it threatened peace and stability in the region.
The US military said that USS Dewey, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, sailed through the narrow and politically sensitive strait along with the Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Winnipeg on Thursday and Friday.
“Dewey’s and Winnipeg’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” it added.
In response, the Chinese military said, “The United States and Canada colluded to provoke and stir up trouble... seriously jeopardising peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait...Taiwan is part of Chinese territory. Theatre forces always maintain a high level of alert and resolutely counter all threats and provocations.”
China’s People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command said that its forces monitored the vessels and “stood guard” while they passed.
According to the Chinese state-owned media house Global Times, this is not the first time that HMCS Winnipeg has sailed through the Taiwan Strait.
It has “frequently appeared in the East China Sea and the South China Sea” in recent months. In September, the vessel reportedly arrived at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka’s Berth 13, for a scheduled port visit. “In early October, it joined the six-country naval exercises led by three US and UK aircraft carriers in the Philippine Sea. It arrived in the Philippines on October 11 and was docked at the Port of Manila till October 13,” Global Times noted, adding that the vessel also passed through the hotly-contested waters in October 2020.
This latest incident comes against the backdrop of multiple Chinese incursions into Taiwanese air space and maritime zones. Earlier this month, the PLA flew around 150 aircraft into the self-governing island’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), constituting its biggest incursion into Taiwanese territory.
While the US state department had called China’s aggressions “destabilising,” Chinese military expert Song Zhongping said that “the increasing scale of exercises is normal and routine” because the PLA needs to increase its deployment “to deter armed forces on the island and foreign interference from other nations.”
In fact, on Sunday, Taiwan’s defence ministry once again reported that three Chinese aircraft—two J-16 fighters and an anti-submarine aircraft—had flown into its ADIZ.
China Condemns US, Canada for Sailing Warships Through Taiwan Strait
The Chinese military responded that the US and Canada “colluded to provoke and stir up trouble” and seriously jeopardised peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
October 18, 2021
SOURCE: THE GAL TIMES