America sent a warship through the Taiwan Strait just days after China ended war games around the island as tensions increase over its future.
The US warship USS Milius sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the US Navy said on Monday.
It describe it as a “routine” transit.
But the timing came after China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, officially ended its three days of exercises around the island last Monday where it practiced precision strikes and blockading the island.
It staged the drills to express anger at Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius conducted a “routine Taiwan Strait transit” through waters “where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law”.
The ship’s transit demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, it added.
Meanwhile, China’s defence minister Li Shangfu said Beijing is willing to work with Russia to have close strategic communications between their militaries, state media reported on Monday.
Li, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday, also said China is willing to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation with Russia, said CCTV news.
“China is willing to work with Russia to make new contributions to the maintenance of world and regional security and stability,” Li said, according to the report.
The West has warned Beijing not to supply Putin with weapons for his war in Ukraine.
