China has condemned the passage of US and British warships through the Taiwan Strait, shortly after announcing its new aircraft carrier had transited through the sensitive waterway.
“On September 12, the US destroyer Higgins and the UK frigate Richmond transited the Taiwan Strait and engaged in disturbance and provocation,” Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement Friday.
The Chinese military “organised naval and air forces to track and monitor their transit throughout the process”, he said, adding that “the actions… undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and claims jurisdiction over the body of water that separates the self-ruled island from the Chinese mainland.
The United States, Britain and other countries view the Taiwan Strait as international waters open to all vessels.
China announced on Friday that its latest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, had passed through the strait to conduct tests in preparation for future service.
Last week Australian and Canadian warships also sailed through the waterway, drawing criticism from Beijing.
China has increased its military, economic and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan in recent years, and has not ruled out the use of force to seize control of it.
Taiwan’s military has been reporting near-daily sightings of Chinese warships around its waters, as well as sorties by drones and fighter jets around the island.
On Saturday, the Taiwanese defence ministry said it had detected 31 Chinese military aircraft and 13 Chinese naval vessels around the island since early Friday — the highest number in a 24-hour period since May.
The ministry said “25 out of 31 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central and southwestern ADIZ”, referring to the island’s air defence identification zone.
“We have monitored the situation and responded,” it added.
