The US passes the first warship following Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan… “Navigate wherever international law permits”
China protests once morest ‘U.S. overtly making topic’… Attempts to neutralize maritime borders
Tensions between the United States and China over the Taiwan issue have escalated since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
While China’s military aircraft and warships invaded the real naval border between Taiwan and China every day, protesting and oppressing them, the United States sent warships into the Taiwan Strait to counteract the situation.
The U.S. 7th Fleet issued a statement on the 28th (local time) saying that the missile cruisers Chancellorville and Antinum are passing through the Taiwan Strait, where freedom of navigation and overflight in the high seas is subject to international law.
“The passage through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates our commitment to the free and open Indo-Pacific,” the 7th Fleet said.
“The vessel moved through a corridor that did not belong to the territorial waters of any coastal state in the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
China, which regards Taiwan as its territory, claims that the entire Taiwan Strait is Chinese territorial waters, but the United States counters that most of the strait is high seas where ships of any country can navigate.
To emphasize this, the United States has regularly conducted ‘freedom of navigation’ operations in which warships pass through the Taiwan Strait.
This operation is the first since Chairman Pelosi’s two or three visits to Taiwan.
It is interpreted as a response to armed demonstrations such as China’s invasion of the midline of the Taiwan Strait and live-fire shooting, which continued following Chairman Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
The middle line of the Taiwan Strait is the boundary line declared by the United States Air Force General Benjamin Davis in 1955 to prevent a military clash between China and Taiwan following the United States signed a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan in December 1954.
Although China and Taiwan have never officially recognized it through an agreement, etc., it was considered a de facto boundary.
China sent military planes across the midline on dozens of occasions in 2020, when tensions escalated with the former US administration, Donald Trump.
However, since Pelosi’s visit, there are also observations that China is trying to create a ‘new normal’ (a new standard) that neutralizes the middle line as Chinese military aircraft and warships blatantly cross the middle line and the air defense identification zone (ADIZ) every day.
The U.S. continues to declare its position that it will not stand by this situation.
“It is very clear that the U.S. Navy and U.S. military will navigate, fly and operate wherever international law permits,” said John Kirby, director of strategic communications at the National Security Council (NSC), in an interview with CNN. It sent a consistent message,” he said.
He also explained that the operation had been planned a long time ago.
He also made it clear that the passage of warships does not indicate a change in US policy in China and Taiwan.
“This operation is very consistent with our ‘one China’ policy and our desire to continue working for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The United States, which established diplomatic ties with China and sever ties with Taiwan in 1979, does not support Taiwan’s independence, but opposes either China or Taiwan to unilaterally change the current situation and expects a peaceful resolution of the cross-strait problem. It is following the ‘one China’ policy.
However, as in the past, China strongly opposed the passage of warships.
“The US Antinum and Chancellorville cruisers made a blatantly hot topic as they passed through the Taiwan Strait,” said Sui, a spokesman for the Eastern District of the People’s Liberation Army, which is in charge of Taiwan. was monitored and vigilant.”
Spokesperson Sui added, “All units in the Eastern District maintain a high level of alert and are ready to thwart any provocations at any time.”
In fact, 10 Chinese military planes took part in an armed protest in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s defense ministry said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said that as of 5 p.m. on the same day, 23 Chinese military aircraft and eight warships have been captured near Taiwan.
In particular, 7 of them, including 3 J-11 fighters, 1 Su-30 fighter, 1 WZ-10 attack helicopter, and 2 J-10 fighters, crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and returned, and one Y-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft. , said three J-16 fighters had entered the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in southwestern Taiwan.
/yunhap news
