TAIPEI: Taiwan says the US Navy is free to sail through its strait after an American warship did so shortly following warnings from Beijing against foreign interference in its relationship with the island.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Thursday the warship sailed northward through the Taiwan Strait. It said joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance task force was monitoring surrounding waters from start to finish and nothing “unusual” took place.
Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet, said the “USS Antietam conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit” Wednesday to Thursday “in accordance with international law.”
China on Wednesday warned that it could use force against anyone who intervenes in its efforts to reunify Taiwan, a democratically-governed island which China considers its territory.
US warship sails through Taiwan strait amid China tensions
Updated 25 July 2019
US warship sails through Taiwan strait amid China tensions
- US Navy Seventh Fleet spokesman said it was a routine transit and legal under international law
- China threatened to use force against those who stand in the way of them reuniting Taiwan
