onsdag 27. april 2022

U.S. Navy Riles China by Sailing Destroyer Near Taiwan

U.S. Navy warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in a now regular exercise that China has decried as "provocative." The 7th Fleet, headquartered in Japan, said the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson conducted a "routine Taiwan Strait transit" on April 26, sailing "through international waters in accordance with international law." The operation "demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," it said. "The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows."

In a statement on Wednesday, Taiwan's Defense Ministry confirmed the American warship's presence, saying the vessel traveled in a northerly direction through the natural barrier separating the democratic island from China. The seas and skies around Taiwan remained "all normal," the bulletin said.