Taipei - Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on Monday that two US
Navy warships had freely sailed north through the Taiwan Strait at
the weekend in a move that could raise tensions with China.
The ministry said in a statement that the free passage of the ships
on Sunday was part of the US Navy's strategic tasks in the
Indo-Pacific region and Taiwan was fully aware of the move.
According to the ministry, since last July, US Navy ships have sailed
through the strait seven times.
The two vessels sailing through the strait have been identified as
the destroyers William P Lawrence and Stethem, Taiwan's state-run
Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Monday.
"The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US
commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the US Pacific Fleet
said in a statement.
The passage through the strait, which shows US support for the
self-ruled island, could raise tensions with China. Taiwan has had
its own government since 1949 when Chinese Nationalists fled there
after losing a civil war to the Communists. Beijing considers the
self-governing democracy part of its territory.
Beijing last week protested to France after a French warship entered
the same strait on April 6.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said late Monday that
Beijing had paid close attention. He said China had also expressed
its concern to the US, CNA reported.
In Beijing, Geng told a daily news briefing that the Taiwan issue is
"the most important and sensitive issue" in Sino-US relations, CNA
reported.