US Warship's Taiwan Strait Transit Called 'Hyped Up' by China Amid Escalating Tensions
Date
4/17/2023 6:28:41 AM
(MENAFN) The United States Army's 7th Fleet recently announced that one of its warships, the USS Milius (DDG 69), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit on Sunday, passing through waters "where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law." The fleet, which operates in the Asia-Pacific region, further stated that the ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state. However, China has called the transit "hyped up." In response to the voyage, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command closely followed and monitored the United States warship's movements through the Taiwan Strait. Senior Col. Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, accused the United States Navy of hyping up the transit of the guided-missile destroyer.
This is not the first time that the USS Milius has sailed through contested waters. On April 10, the same warship sailed in the South China Sea, which triggered joint flights of jets and voyages of naval frigates by Beijing, who said they were tracking and monitoring the United States Navy destroyer.
The Taiwan Strait transit comes days after China held large-scale exercises around Taiwan, an island nation, and coincides with Beijing's warning that "rocket debris may end up" near Taiwan. Taiwan's Defense Ministry on Monday confirmed that it detected "some debris falling into the northern waters of Taiwan." The situation is being closely monitored by the international community, and tensions between the United States and China continue to escalate over disputes in the region.
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