On Thursday, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Ralph Johnson completed a freedom of navigation transit through the Taiwan Strait, an international waterway claimed by China.
"Ralph Johnson’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle. No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms," U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement, emphasizing that Johnson transited through international waters.
The U.S. Navy and its allied partners transit the Taiwan Strait roughly once every 1-2 months, and China typically issues an objection. State-owned news outlet Xinhua carried a statement from the PLA Eastern Theater Command, which said that it "tracked and monitored" USS Ralph Johnson during the transit with a combination of naval and air forces.
This time, the PLA did not accuse U.S. forces of breaking rules or engaging in provocations, as it often has in the past. "The Eastern Theater Command remains on high alert, and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability," said Senior Colonel Li Xi in a statement.
The last Western freedom of navigation transit through the Taiwan Strait was carried out by the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montreal on July 31, and it also drew few objections from Beijing. HMCS Montreal continued onwards for a longer patrol in the South China Sea, escorted by PLA Navy warships and supported by a U.S. Military Sealift Command fleet oiler, according to USNI.
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