New York [US], September 13: The Chinese military on September 12 spoke out about the US and British warships moving through the Taiwan Strait.
The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced on September 12 that it had ordered its naval and air forces to monitor and warn the US destroyer USS Higgins and the British frigate HMS Richmond as they passed through the Taiwan Strait on the same day, according to Reuters.
The Eastern Theater Command accused the two warships of engaging in "disruptive and provocative behavior." "The actions of the US and UK have sent wrong signals and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait ," the Eastern Theater Command warned in a statement.
Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that HMS Richmond's transit through the Taiwan Strait was a routine operation. "Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it fully complies with international law and norms, and exercises the rights of freedom of navigation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."
The US Indo-Pacific Command also described it as a routine transit. "The ships transited a strait corridor that is beyond the territorial waters of any coastal state. Navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be restricted," the Indo-Pacific Command stressed.
Last week, a Canadian warship and an Australian warship also passed through the Taiwan Strait.
US warships and, occasionally, warships from allied countries including Canada, Britain and France, pass through the Taiwan Strait about once a month. These countries, as well as Taiwan, consider the Taiwan Strait an international waterway.
China claims the strategic waterway as part of its territorial waters. Over the past five years, China has increased military pressure on Taiwan, including holding military exercises nearby, according to Reuters.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper