China reprimands US and Canadian navies for crossing the Taiwan Strait

TAIPEI, June 3 (Reuters) – China’s military rebuked the United States and Canada for “deliberate risk provocation” after the two countries’ navies conducted a rare joint voyage through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the guided missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and Canada’s HMCS Montreal on Saturday conducted a “routine” transit through the straits “through waters where freedom of navigation and overflight on the high seas is prohibited under international law.” is applicable”.

“The bilateral cross-strait transit of Chung-Hoon and Montreal demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” it said in a statement.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said its forces continuously monitored the ships and “managed” the situation in accordance with laws and regulations.

“The affected countries are intentionally causing incidents in the Taiwan Strait region, intentionally provoking risks, maliciously undermining peace and stability in the region, and sending the wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces,” it said late Saturday.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said the two ships sailed north through the strait and it observed nothing unusual.

While US warships transit the straits about once a month, it is unusual for them to do so alongside those of other US allies.

The mission came as US and Chinese defense chiefs attended a major regional security summit in Singapore.

At the event, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin chastised China for its refusal to hold military talks, leaving the superpowers deadlocked over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

There was no immediate response to the crossing from the Chinese military, which routinely denounces it as a US attempt to stoke tensions.

The last such publicly announced US-Canadian mission in the straits was in September.

China has increased military and political pressure to force Taiwan to accept Beijing’s claims to sovereignty, which the Taipei government firmly opposes.

Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Edited by William Mallard and Nick Zieminski

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