TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – China’s military has criticized the passage of a U.S. destroyer through the Taiwan Strait, which occurred less than two weeks after the passage. new president The president takes office while the United States and China are making uneven efforts to restore regular military exchanges.
Eastern Theater spokesman, Navy Senior Col. Lee See, on Wednesday accused the United States of “publicly promoting” the passage of the USS Halsey. Li said in a statement that the command, which oversees operations around the strait, “organized naval and air forces to monitor the ship’s navigation” and addressed the issue “in accordance with laws and regulations.”
The Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement that the Halsey “conducted a routine passage through the Taiwan Strait on May 8 through waters subject to freedom of navigation and overflight on the high seas in accordance with international law.”
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer passed through the Strait corridor “beyond the territorial waters” of any coastal state, the fleet said in a statement.
“The Halsey’s passage through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to uphold freedom of navigation for all nations in principle,” it said, adding, “No member of the international community should be intimidated into giving up their rights and freedoms.” “It should not be forced,” he said. U.S. forces fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows. ”
China’s accusation that the passage was “publicly advertised” is seen by Beijing as a way to push back on China’s unspecified claim that it has some control over who can and cannot freely pass through the strait. Therefore, it has become a common practice. There was no indication that the U.S. Navy would have acted differently in this incident, or that China’s reaction would have been any more violent.
last such passage It was April 17, the day after the U.S. and Chinese defense secretaries met. The first talks since November 2022 were held with the aim of easing tensions in the region. Inter-military communications stalled in August 2022, after which the Chinese government suspended all such communications. Then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan.China responded to this fire a missile Taiwan and staging sky Rapid increase in military exercisesThis included what appeared to be a rehearsal for a naval and air blockade of the island.
The crucial strait is 160 kilometers (100 miles) wide and separates China from Taiwan, an autonomous democratic nation where the president-elect lives. William Lai Chinte Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party supports de facto independence for Taiwan, which maintains strong unofficial ties with the United States and other major powers.
Taiwan’s military will be on high alert around key dates such as the presidential and legislative elections in January this year, with China using its far more powerful military to intimidate voters and threatening unification between the two factions. They are wary of the possibility of trying to sway public opinion in support of Beijing’s claims that it is inevitable. .
The two sides split during a civil war in 1949, and in 1996 China launched missiles just north and south of the island to deter voters from supporting candidates they didn’t like. Conducted military exercises that were counterproductive. Since then, China has largely kept a low profile when it comes to elections, preferring instead to favor business groups and give unification-minded politicians and grassroots officials all-expenses paid visits to the mainland.
The frequently transited strait is high seas and vital to global trade, but China considers the passage of warships from the United States, Britain and other countries through the Taiwan Strait a challenge to its sovereignty.
China sends naval vessels and fighter jets almost daily into the strait and other areas around the island in an effort to weaken Taiwan’s defenses and intimidate its 23 million people, who staunchly support its de facto independence. .
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced that 23 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels were observed operating around Taiwan in the 24 hours ending at 6 a.m. Thursday. Eight of the planes crossed the strait median line and entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets and put coastal missile batteries and naval ships on alert.
In addition to navigating the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. Navy conducts what it calls freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS). The operation involves sailing and flying close to Chinese-controlled features, many of which are man-made, in the South China Sea. The islands have been militarized for many years, with features such as airstrips and radar stations.
China claims the South China Sea, de facto a major maritime artery for global trade, and reacts furiously to such moves, accusing the United States of destabilizing the region. . It frequently follows U.S. ships and aircraft with its assets and demands their immediate departure from the area. The United States maintains that it has the right to navigate the waters under international law, and a UN-backed arbitration panel rejected China’s claims, a ruling that Beijing ignored.
