Two US military vessels transited the Taiwan Strait from Sunday through early today, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement.
Records show that the transit marked the first time the US Navy has made the passage since US President Donald Trump took office last month.
The two vessels sailed south through the Strait, the MND said, adding that it closely monitored nearby airspace and waters at the time and observed nothing unusual.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The MND did not name the two vessels, but the US Navy identified them as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch.
The ships carried out a north-to-south transit from Monday to today, a US military spokesperson said.
"The transit occurred through a corridor in the Taiwan Strait that is beyond any coastal state's territorial seas," said US Navy Commander Matthew Comer, a spokesperson at the US military's Indo-Pacific Command.
The US 7th fleet did not publicize the passage via news release, as was standard during the administration of the previous US president Joe Biden.
The confirmations made by the US and Taiwanese militaries came after China made a statement regarding the US transit earlier yesterday.
The state-run Global Times quoted Li Xi (李熹), spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, as saying that PLA forces have "deployed naval and air forces to monitor the entire passage of the US vessels, effectively responding to and managing the situation."
"The actions of the US sent the wrong signals and increased security risks. The Eastern Theater Command remains on high alert, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability," Li said.
The US Navy, sometimes joined by allies, makes regular transits through the Taiwan Strait in what it calls freedom of navigation.
The last time a US warship transited the Strait was on Oct. 20 last year, when the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Higgins, along with Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver, sailed through the body of water.
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