‘The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows,’ U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said.
The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet announced that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson passed through the Taiwan Strait on Aug. 22, triggering a warning from China.
The strait is a narrow waterway separating China and Taiwan by about 80 miles, where the Chinese military has been regularly conducting exercises while escalating rhetoric about seizing Taiwan.
The 7th Fleet
stated it was a routine transit in accordance with international law.
“The ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state,” the statement reads. “No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”
Over the past three decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been
asserting territorial claims in the South China Sea, citing domestic laws as justification.
These claims conflict with
international law, which designates certain waterways as free international waters and others as the coastal territory of other sovereign nations.
The CCP has persisted in disregarding these international laws, despite
diplomatic protests and global denunciation.
The U.S. Navy 7th Fleet emphasized that the passage through the Taiwan Strait “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle.”
The CCP’s reaction to the USS Ralph Johnson transit echoed its previous responses to international vessels traversing the South China Sea, with the regime alleging that nations are disrupting
peace and provoking China.
The CCP’s military labeled the voyage as “public hype.” It indicated that it had deployed naval and air forces to monitor and caution the U.S. ship and would “handle the situation in accordance with the law and regulations.”
“Troops in the theater are on high alert at all times and will firmly protect national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability,” the Chinese People’s Liberation Army stated.
In May, the U.S. State Department urged for
de-escalation following what it characterized as military provocations by the Chinese military, which conducted two days of attack drills off the coast of Taiwan.
Earlier this year, the United States and Canada both navigated other vessels through the strait.
Germany is preparing to send two warships through next month. Various countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, have conducted military exercises in the South China Sea, focusing on deterrence.
Approximately one-third of the world’s trade passes through the South China Sea, with the Taiwan Strait serving as a crucial route, handling
44 percent of the world’s container fleet and over 80 percent of the largest ships. Taiwan is also responsible for producing around 90 percent of the world’s most advanced microchips.
As the CCP strives to expand its territory and control over parts of the South China Sea, it has enacted new domestic laws giving the Chinese military the power to patrol the waters. Last year, the CCP introduced new regulations granting its coast guard the authority to
detain foreigners accused of trespassing in the disputed waters.
