The US Navy conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit while China deployed 18 warplanes and four warships around Taiwan in a week-long routine. USS Milius, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims as its territory
On Sunday, the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet announced that the USS Milius had conducted a “routine Taiwan Strait transit” through waters that allow “high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight” according to international law. The US statement emphasized its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, adding that the US military will operate anywhere international law allows.
On the same day, 18 Chinese military aircraft and four warships were detected around Taiwan, with four of the aircraft entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The debris from China’s Long March 4B rocket, generated by the launch of a weather satellite, was also detected falling into a no-fly zone imposed by Beijing north of Taiwan in the ADIZ.
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US warship provokes China’s sovereignty while Taiwan ramps up military readiness
Today, the USS Milius sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the South China Sea, a territory that China claims as its own. The US Navy emphasized its commitment to upholding freedom of navigation and defending the rights and freedoms of the sea guaranteed to all nations. Chinese leaders, however, have denounced the US military operation as an infringement on its sovereignty and a threat to its security.
According to news sources, The Chinese military is conducting large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in response to the island’s President, Tsai Ing-wen, meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California during a recent visit to Central and North America. Tsai later met with members of a US congressional delegation, telling them that the Taiwanese have the “will to fight” against a possible Chinese invasion.
American warships periodically conduct navigation exercises in the waterway, sparking angry responses from China. But Beijing’s reaction to the latest sail-by was relatively restrained, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying saying China had “expressed its concerns to the American side”.
Tensions rise as China seeks military collaboration with Russia and claims territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea
China has claimed vast amounts of territory within the South China Sea and has claimed the territorial waters as its own, although the US disputes those claims of sovereignty. Senior Pentagon officials have described China’s goal to take Taiwan by force by 2027 as a goal but not yet an already determined decision.
The Defense Minister of China, Li Shangfu, has stated that the government is eager to collaborate with Russia in order to establish close strategic communications between their military. The two countries also agreed to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation to maintain world and regional security and stability.
Tensions between China and the US continue to rise, with military operations and exercises conducted by both countries. The situation is further complicated by the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a possibility that has been met with strong resistance from the Taiwanese government and support from the US, the impact of these developments is uncertain. The situation highlights the importance of diplomacy and the need for countries to work together to address their differences peacefully.
