The US and Canada each sent a warship through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday in a joint operation that came less than a week after the Chinese military conducted blockade drills around the island.
The US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver made the transit. The US framed the operation as “routine,” but Beijing always views US military activity in the sensitive waterway as a provocation.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said the US and Canadian warships “disturbed the situation and undermined peace and stability.” Col. Li Xi, a spokesman for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, said Chinese forces monitored the ships throughout the transit.
The US frequently sails warships through the Taiwan Strait and has been encouraging its Western allies to join in on the provocations. Last month, German warships sailed through the sensitive waterway for the first time since 2002, which drew sharp condemnation from China.
On October 14, the PLA conducted drills simulating a blockade around Taiwan in response to a speech by Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te, where he said Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, was not “subordinate” to mainland China, known as the People’s Republic of China.
The Chinese military also made clear the drills were a warning to the US over its increasing support for Taiwan. “Relevant parties should cease supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ and stop undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a statement on the exercises.
China conducted its first blockade drill around Taiwan in August 2022 in response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) making a provocative visit to the island despite major protests from Beijing.
The US has ignored China’s concerns about Taiwan and continues to increase military and diplomatic support for the island. In September, President Biden approved a $567 million arms package for Taiwan.
The US military is also openly planning for a war with China over Taiwan despite the risk of any direct US-China war turning nuclear. The US Navy recently unveiled a plan to prepare its forces for war with China by 2027.
