The U.S. Pacific Fleet announced that a U.S. warship crossed the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday (October 14, 2020), and the Chinese military accused the U.S. of “stirring up trouble and stirring up trouble.
In a brief tweet, the Pacific Fleet said, “The USS Barry, a guided-missile destroyer under the U.S. Seventh Fleet, made a routine pass through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
It was at least the third public crossing of the Taiwan Strait this year by the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which is based at the U.S. naval port of Yokosuka, Japan, has been active in the Western Pacific lately, having crossed the Taiwan Strait twice this year, on April 11 and 25. It is equipped with the S.H.I.E.L.D. combat system, missiles of various types, and has an operational range of more than 4,000 nautical miles.
China’s Eastern Theater spokesman, Colonel Zhang Chunhui, issued a statement regarding the USS Barry’s passage through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, saying that the Eastern Theater had organized air and naval forces to track and monitor the USS Barry. The statement said the U.S. frequently “sends wrong signals” to Taiwan independence forces on Taiwan-related issues, “seriously undermines” regional peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and demands that the U.S. stop “causing trouble and stirring up trouble.
Over the past few weeks, the Chinese military has significantly increased its operations in the waters and airspace around Taiwan, including by conducting combat military exercises. Beijing has publicly called this a warning to the so-called forces for Taiwan’s independence.
At the same time, the United States has also significantly increased its military presence in the Taiwan Sea and the South China Sea. Observers say the U.S. intends to counteract the continued expansion of Chinese military forces in these areas in order to stabilize the regional security situation, which is quite clear.
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