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Washington — US warships and US Coast Guard cutters sailed the Taiwan Strait on Friday, August 27. This is the latest in what Washington calls day-to-day operations through the sensitive waterways that separate Taiwan from China, which claims to be an autonomous island.
The passage is in the midst of a surge in military tensions between Taiwan and China over the past two years, with warships and fighters exercising on the southwest and southeast coasts of the island following China’s attack training last week. There is.
The U.S. Navy said in a statement that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Kid, accompanied by the Coast Guard Cuttermanro, “passed through the high seas in accordance with international law.”
“The legal passage of vessels through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The U.S. military is flying, sailing, and operating as international law allows. “.
The US Navy conducts such operations every month or so, angering China, which considers Taiwan a territory and has never abandoned the use of force to take control of democratic islands.
China called the move “provocative” on August 28, stating that the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command had organized an army to track, monitor, and guard US ship operations.
“The United States frequently carries out similar provocative acts of a very bad nature, which are the greatest destroyers of peace and stability in the Straits of Taiwan and the greatest source of security risks. That’s a complete indication. China’s Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei strongly opposes and condemns this in a statement. “
“Taiwan is an integral part of China. Taiwan’s problem is China’s internal affairs and does not allow external interference. We are aware of the situation against the United States, stop provoking, and one of China’s We call for compliance with the principles and the provisions of the three US-China joint communiqués. “
The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is Taiwan’s most important international supporter and a major seller of weapons to Taiwan.
In March, Taiwan and the United States signed an agreement to establish a Coast Guard Working Group to coordinate policies after China passed a law allowing the Coast Guard to fire on foreign vessels.
It wasn’t the first time a US Coast Guard cutter sailed the Taiwan Strait on Friday.
However, Washington maritime security expert Gregory Polling is now maintaining vessels in the region and “more joint training and law to strengthen partner countries’ capabilities against China’s aggression. I am engaged in executive diplomacy. ” Center for Strategic and International Studies.
China’s state media has captured the US’s rush withdrawal from Afghanistan in recent weeks and portrayed US support for Taiwan and its regional allies as capricious.
However, US President Joe Biden’s administration quickly dismissed the comparison with US commitments to Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific.
Vice President Kamala Harris accused China of “bullying and excessive maritime claims” during this week’s trip to Vietnam and Singapore.
By Michael Martina and Idrees Ali
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