Tensions rise as US and Canadian ships sail the Taiwan Strait
The Chinese army criticised the Sunday passage of American and Canadian warships through the Taiwan Strait, calling it a "threat to peace."
The passage, described by the United States as "routine", occurred less than a week after extensive Chinese manoeuvres around Taiwan.
The US 7th Fleet reported in a statement on Monday that the destroyer USS Higgins and the frigate HMCS Vancouver of the Royal Canadian Navy conducted a "routine" voyage through the Taiwan Strait.
The US naval forces explained in their statement that the vessels traversed "through waters where high-seas freedom of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law."
"The international community's navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited. The United States rejects any assertion of sovereignty or jurisdiction that is inconsistent with freedoms of navigations, overflight, and other lawful uses of the sea and air," reminded the American Navy.
The Communist authorities in Beijing consider the strait, approximately 80 miles wide, which separates Taiwan from mainland China, to be within their internal maritime waters.
Li Xi, spokesperson for China's Eastern Theatre Command, announced on Monday that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is maintaining a high level of alertness and is firmly committed to defending national sovereignty and security while also ensuring peace and stability in the region.
The US and Canadian statements followed a week after China conducted large-scale military exercises in the waters surrounding Taiwan. These manoeuvres, a reaction to the speech by Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te on the national holiday, saw unprecedented activity from 125 aircraft, the aircraft carrier Liaoning, and other warships. Lai emphasised his commitment to "oppose annexation" by Beijing.
The Communist Party of China has never formally ruled Taiwan but claims that the democratically governed island is an "inseparable" part of Chinese territory and a "rebellious province". Beijing has repeatedly asserted that the Chinese military will "never" renounce the "use of force" to seize Taiwan.
