An American warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait Sunday — days after China's military conducted live-fire drills around the island and as diplomats from the Group of Seven nations gathered in Japan to discuss increasing threats from Beijing.
The big picture: The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet in a statement Monday described the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius' transit through the strait as a "routine" demonstration of "the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."
Meanwhile, the issue of last week's Chinese military exercises around Taiwan that included live-fire drills was high on the agenda as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined G7 foreign ministers in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, according to a statement from Japan's Foreign Ministry.
- Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi "emphasized the importance of continuing dialogue" while urging Beijing to "act as a responsible member of the international community, and the G7 foreign ministers shared the same views," according to the statement.
- The diplomats agreed they "oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, as well as to reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," the statement added.
Of note: The Russian military invasion of Ukraine formed a key part of the agenda on day two of the G7 diplomats' meeting Monday.
- A U.S. official told reporters that Blinken aimed to bolster support for Kyiv — including on military assistance and Ukrainian energy infrastructure that was first raised at last year's G7 summit in Germany, per AP.
