By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/TAIPEI/BEIJING (Worthy News) – The United States and China came close to a military confrontation Thursday as the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet received a Chinese warning when one of its warships passed through the Taiwan Strait, military officials said.
The 7th Fleet confirmed the incident happened when the “Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson” was in the narrow waterway separating China and Taiwan by about 128 kilometers (80 miles).
China has been regularly conducting exercises there while increasing rhetoric about seizing Taiwan, the democratically ruled island Beijing views as its territory.
China’s military said it sent naval and air forces to monitor and warn the U.S. ship and would “deal with it in accordance with the law and regulations.”
“Troops in the theatre remain on high alert at all times and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability,” the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said in published remarks.
The 7th Fleet defended its actions, saying, “The ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state.”
It added, “No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”
Yet boldened by its growing military, Communist-run China has made clear that it is prepared to defend its interests, including taking over Taiwan by force if necessary, despite U.S. military support for the island.
In May, the U.S. State Department called for de-escalation after what it described as military provocations by the Chinese military, which conducted two days of attack drills off the coast of Taiwan.
The United States and Canada sent other vessels through the strait earlier this year. Sources say Germany is set to send two warships next month.
The United States, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines have all conducted military exercises in the South China Sea, saying it was focused on deterrence.
The growing tensions come at a difficult moment as at least a third of the world’s trade passes through the South China Sea. The Taiwan Strait is a key route, handling 44 percent of the world’s container fleet and more than 80 percent of the largest ships, according to official data.
Taiwan also produces about 90 percent of the world’s most advanced microchips at a time of rapidly spreading artificial intelligence.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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