BEIJING / TAIPEI (Reuters) – China on Wednesday accused the United States of threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait after a US warship crossed the strait.
The US Navy said the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur made a “routine transit through the Taiwan Strait” on Tuesday, in accordance with international law.
“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The United States military will continue to fly, navigate and operate wherever international law is required. allows it, ”he added.
A spokesperson for a division of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army expressed strong opposition and condemned the move, which comes amid heightened tensions between the two powers.
“The actions of the United States send the wrong signals to the pro-independence forces in Taiwan, deliberately disrupting the regional situation and endangering peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Chinese forces followed and monitored the ship throughout its journey, he added.
Military tensions between Taiwan and Beijing have escalated over the past year, with Taipei complaining that China is repeatedly sending its air force into Taiwan’s air defense zone.
China has said its activities around Taiwan are aimed at protecting China’s sovereignty. The Taiwanese government denounced them as attempted intimidation.
(Editorial by Pékin and Ben Blanchard; French version Camille Raynaud)
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