The Chinese army on Sunday (October 17th) condemned the United States and Canada which sent warships to the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, saying that these initiatives posed a threat to peace and stability in the region. . Tensions between Beijing and Taipei are rising, raising international concern.
China considers the democratically-governed island state of Taiwan its own territory and has repeatedly staged air force missions in Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), sparking anger from Taipei. Beijing has indeed sent around 150 planes to this area over a four-day period from October 1.
Shortly following, the US military declared that the guided missile destroyer USS Dewey had crossed the strait on Thursday and Friday, in the company of the Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg. “The passage of the Dewey and the Winnipeg through the Taiwan Strait testifies to l’engagement of the United States and their allies and partners in favor of a free and open Indo-Pacific“, is it written in a press release.
The Chinese military said its forces were monitoring the ships and “stood guard“throughout their journey.
“The United States and Canada have colluded to provoke and stir up unrest... seriously jeopardizing the peace and the stability of the Taiwan Strait,” the military said.
“Taiwan is part of Chinese territory”
United States Navy ships pass through the strait approximately once a monthmuch to the anger of Beijing, which has accused Washington of stoking tensions in the region.
US allies also occasionally send ships to the strait, including a British warship last month.
