A US Navy ship on Friday sailed through the Taiwan Strait, marking the ninth time a US military vessel has transited the Strait since US President Joe Biden took office in January.
The USS Barry, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, conducted a “routine” transit through the Strait, the US Navy said in a statement, adding that the journey through international waters was conducted “in accordance with international law.”
“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US Navy said. “The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows.”
Photo: AFP
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday confirmed the transit, saying the US destroyer sailed from north to south through the Strait.
The ministry said it has a grasp of the situation and uses joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tools to monitor the waters and airspace around Taiwan.
The situation was “normal” while the ship traveled through the Strait, it added.
The destroyer was in the Strait on the same day that 10 Chinese military aircraft flew into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
It was the 15th consecutive day that Chinese military aircraft had entered the area.
The military maneuvers are seen by some as a way for Beijing to indicate its displeasure with Taipei and warn against actions it sees as jeopardizing its hopes of annexing Taiwan.
Taipei considers such moves military threats.
On Aug. 27, the USS Kidd, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, accompanied by the USCGC Munro, conducted what the US Navy called “routine transits” through the Strait.
The USS John S. McCain sailed through the Strait on Feb. 4 and April 7; the USS Curtis Wilbur on Feb. 24, May 18 and June 22; the USS John Finn on March 10; and the USS Benfold on July 28.
The most recent passage came as Taiwan concluded its annual Han Kuang military exercises and China conducted military exercises in waters near Taiwan’s southwest coast.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had on Friday conducted a military drill in waters off southwestern Taiwan and in the skies over the area, the PLA’s official newspaper reported yesterday, citing Shi Yi (施毅), a spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command.
Shi did not provide specific information regarding the location of the exercise, saying only that the PLA had deployed naval vessels, early warning aircraft and bombers.
The Ministry of National Defense said that Taiwan had a “thorough grasp and assessment” of China’s military exercises.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS