US warship crosses Taiwan Strait, China says ‘ready to thwart provocations’ – BBC News

August 29, 2022

image source,US 7th Fleet

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The U.S. Navy said the cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville crossed the Taiwan Strait.

The U.S. Navy said two U.S. warships passed through the Taiwan Strait.

It was the first such move by the U.S. since U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan earlier this month raised tensions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded on Monday (August 29) that U.S. warships show off force under the guise of “freedom of navigation”, not a commitment to “freedom and openness”, but “a provocation to seek freedom to run amok. Deliberate disruption of regional peace and stability”.

warship crossing

The U.S. Navy said in a statement on Sunday that its cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville crossed the Taiwan Strait.

The statement pointed out that crossing the strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. U.S. troops can fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby echoed the stance on CNN, saying the action was very consistent with the U.S. “One China” policy and its pursuit of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Kirby also said the operation was planned long ago.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense also confirmed the news on Sunday, saying that two US cruisers were traveling from north to south through the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense stated that during the southward journey through the Taiwan Strait, its troops were in control of the surrounding sea and airspace related dynamics throughout the entire process, and the situation was normal.

China has also noticed the U.S. military’s action and said it remains on high alert.

Shi Yi, a spokesman for the Eastern China Theater Command, said that on August 28, two U.S. cruisers “passed through the Taiwan Strait and made public hype. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army followed the entire process of the U.S. warship’s passing operations, and all movements were under control.” .

“The troops in the theater maintain high alert and are ready to thwart any provocation at any time,” the statement said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday that China ” once more urges the U.S. side to stop falsifying, hollowing out and distorting the ‘one China’ principle”, abide by the basic principles of international relations of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries and non-interference in internal affairs, and earnestly abide by ” The one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiqués stipulate that one should not be a troublemaker for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

image source,Getty Images

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Kinmen, Taiwan

Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of the Chinese state media Global Times, commented that the U.S. is trying to appease the Taiwan authorities and regional allies with this move, telling them that the U.S. will not back down under military pressure from the mainland. It is impossible to have any deterrent to the mainland, and the emboldening effect on the Taiwan authorities is getting smaller and smaller.

“The actual impact it has on the mainland is that we are constantly reminded that the United States is a very unfriendly force that hinders China’s unification, and we need to give up our illusions,” Hu Xijin said.

On Sunday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry also said that as of 5 p.m., 23 Chinese planes and eight Chinese ships had been spotted near Taiwan.

drone fly by

The Taiwan Army’s Kinmen Defense Command also said on Sunday that an unidentified aircraft was found in the Lieyu area briefly passing over the sky, which should be a civilian drone following comparison and analysis. The troops fired signal flare warnings and maintained surveillance and high alert.

Earlier, Chinese social media Weibo circulated a video of a suspected drone approaching officers and soldiers in Kinmen.

The Taiwan Army Kinmen Defense Command stated that China has repeatedly used drones and other aviation entities to rashly provoke, undermining regional security and stability, and even posing a major threat to its national defense aviation security. After that, Taiwan will take necessary countermeasures, including expulsion. ensure national security.