Beijing said it maintains “a high level of alert” after the US Navy announced that the USS Milius had made a “routine transit” in the Taiwan Strait, claimed by China.
Tension continues to rise between the United States and China over the issue of Taiwan, claimed by Beijing. The world’s second power said it carefully monitored the passage of an American warship in the Taiwan Strait, accusing its rival of deliberately making “media hype” around the incident.
“The troops (…) constantly maintain a high level of alertness and resolutely defend national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability,” said Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the ISIS. Chinese military, in a statement.
A “routine transit” according to the US Navy
On Sunday, the American destroyer USS Milius sailed through the strait. The ship “conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait,” the US Navy said in a statement, “in waters where freedom of navigation and overflight on the high seas applies in accordance with international law.”
“The vessel transited through a corridor in the strait located beyond any territorial sea of a coastal state,” the statement added.
Last week, the USS Milius sailed near the Spratly Islands, also claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea. The Chinese government had denounced an “illegal intrusion”.
Taiwan considered a province by Beijing
The passage of the American warship near Taiwan comes a week after extensive Chinese military exercises around the island. For three days, Chinese warships and warplanes had simulated a “closure” of Taiwan, in retaliation for a meeting in the United States between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy .
China views with displeasure the rapprochement in recent years between the Taiwanese authorities and the United States which, despite the absence of official relations, provides the island with substantial military support.
Beijing considers Taiwan as a province that it has not yet managed to reunify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. China is aiming for this reunification, by force if necessary.
