China denounces the passage of U.S. and U.K. military vessels in the Taiwan Strait
The Chinese regime claims Taiwan and considers the strait that separates them, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, part of its territory.
File image of Chinese maneuvers handed out by the Taiwan government
(AFP) The Chinese regime denounced the passage of US and British military vessels through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, shortly after announcing that its new aircraft carrier also transited the sensitive waterway passage.
China claims Taiwan and considers the strait that separates them, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, part of its territory.
Just Friday, China's new aircraft carrier Fujian sailed into that point as part of a pre-commissioning test.
"On Sept. 12, the U.S. destroyer Higgins and the British frigate Richmond transited the Taiwan Strait, causing annoyance and disturbance," Col. Shi Yi, spokesman for the Chinese military's Eastern Command, said in a statement.
In response, the Chinese military "organized naval and air forces to track and monitor their passage," he added, and warned that such actions "undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
The United States and the United Kingdom, like many other countries, consider this approximately 150-kilometer-wide waterway to be part of open international waters.
In recent years, Beijing has increased its military, economic, and diplomatic pressure on democratic Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force to take control sometime.
The Taiwanese military has reported an increasing presence of Chinese ships, drones and military aircraft on its territory, as well as large-scale military exercises.
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