US, Canadian warships transit Taiwan Strait in latest joint mission

A US and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, the US Navy said, marking the second such joint mission since June and coinciding with the leaders of both countries attending the G20 summit in India.

The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and Canada’s HMCS Ottawa conducted a “routine” transit “through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law”.

“Ralph Johnson and Ottawa’s bilateral transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US Navy added in a statement.

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China’s military condemned the transit,accusing the ships of carrying out “public hyping” in the strait, which separatesTaiwan from China.

Beijing views the self-governed island as a renegade province to be reunited, by force if necessary. While many nations, including the US, do not officially acknowledge Taiwan as an independent state, they oppose any use of force to alter the existing status quo.

The Eastern Theatre Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army said its forces monitored the ships and “handled” the situation in accordance with the law and regulations.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the ships sailed in a southerly direction and that it had observed nothing unusual.

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Mainland China launches military drill near Taiwan in ‘severe warning to separatist forces’

Mainland China launches military drill near Taiwan in ‘severe warning to separatist forces’

The mission was announced by the US Navy as the G20 summit in New Delhi was wrapping up, skipped by Chinese President Xi Jinping but attended by both US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

After the June joint sailing, the US Navy released a video of what it called an “unsafe interaction” in the Taiwan Strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a US destroyer.

While US warships transit the strait around once a month, it is relatively unusual for them to do so with those of other allies.

China has been increasing its military operations around Taiwan over the past few years in response to what it calls “collusion” between Taiwan independence forces and the US.