China tracks US Navy ship’s passage through Taiwan Strait
Published on: Friday, October 16, 2020
By: AP
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) sails in formation during exercise Malabar 2018 on June 15, 2018, in the Philippine Sea. (MC2 Sarah Myers/Navy)
BEIJING: China says it tracked a US Navy warship as it passed through the Taiwan Strait and has its forces in the area on high alert, as tensions between the world’s two largest economies and rivals for regional influence continue to simmer.The spokesperson for its Eastern Theater Command, Maj. Zhang Chunxuan, said air and sea forces were mobilised to keep tabs Wednesday on the USS Barry, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.
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Zhang said the US has recently been sending “the wrong signal” to proponents of independence for Taiwan, a pro-US self-governing democracy that China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary.
Although the Taiwan Strait is a public waterway, China is extremely sensitive to all US military moves in its periphery amid heightened tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea, trade disputes and other issues.
The US has been “seriously undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region. We are asking the United States to stop making trouble through its words and actions in the Taiwan Strait,“ Zhang said.
Chinese troops in the Eastern Theater “remain on high alert, resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability around the Taiwan Strait,“ he said.
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In a brief statement, the US Pacific Fleet said the Barry had “conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit ... in accordance with international law.“Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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While the US has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in deference to Beijing, Washington is legally bound to ensure the island can defend against threats and is its biggest provider of military hardware. Recent sales have included tanks, missiles and upgraded F-16 fighter jets, while reports say the US is also preparing to offer drones, rocket systems and other missile systems.
