Two US warships sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday drawing protest from Beijing, the second such mission this month and coming almost two weeks after a Chinese aircraft carrier group used the same waterway.
China, which claims to democratically run Taiwan as its own territory, has been angered by stepped-up US support for the island, including arms sales and sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait, further souring Beijing-Washington relations.
The US Navy said the guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain and USS Curtis Wilbur had "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Dec. 31 in accordance with international law."
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Beijing has slammed Washington after two guided-missile destroyers sailed across the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, the thirteenth such mission through the contested waterway this year, adding to already fraught US-China relations.
ReplyDeleteThe USS John S. McCain and USS Curtis Wilbur conducted a “routine Taiwan Strait transit” on December 31, the US Navy said in a statement, claiming the exercise complied with international law.
But the drill was met with fury from Beijing, with Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin saying during a regular news briefing: “US warships have repeatedly flaunted their prowess in the Taiwan Strait, provoked and stirred up trouble.”