US warship passes through Taiwan Strait, Chinese military monitors

In a statement on its website, the 7th Fleet affirmed that the USS Ralph Johnson sailed through waters where freedom of navigation and overflight applies under international law.

US Navy destroyer USS Ralph Johnson

"The ship transited a strait corridor beyond the territorial seas of any coastal state. The Ralph Johnson's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation," the 7th Fleet stressed.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army announced that it had organized naval and air forces to monitor the entire journey of the aforementioned US warship, according to Reuters.

"Soldiers in the theater command are always on high alert and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability," a spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command stressed in a statement.

There is no information yet on Taiwan's reaction.

Earlier, Reuters reported on August 1 that a Canadian warship had passed through the Taiwan Strait, in a move Canada called a commitment to a free and open Indo- Pacific region.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-ham-my-di-qua-eo-bien-dai-loan-quan-doi-trung-quoc-theo-doi-185240822144247708.htm