A U.S. warship has once again passed through the sensitive waterway between Taiwan and China amid heightened tensions between Taipei and Beijing. U.S. warships have publicly crossed the Taiwan Strait several times since President Biden took office.
The U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet said in a statement Tuesday (May 18) that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur “routinely passed through the Taiwan Strait” in accordance with international law on May 18, local time. “.
“The ship’s passage through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The U.S. military will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” the Seventh Fleet said.
A U.S. destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait from north to south May 18, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said in a brief press release.
“Throughout the period of sailing south through the Taiwan Strait, the national army kept track of the relevant dynamics in our surrounding sea and airspace, and the conditions were all normal,” the statement said.
“The destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur also conducted a routine sailing in the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 24 this year.
The U.S. 7th Fleet is the largest forward-deployed fleet in the U.S. Navy, with about 50-70 ships and submarines, 150 aircraft and about 20,000 sailors at any given time, according to the fleet’s official website.
Since President Biden took office, the U.S. Seventh Fleet has repeatedly sent ships across the Taiwan Strait in public, making such voyages nearly every month.
On April 7, the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain made a “routine” passage through the Taiwan Strait.
On March 10, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn also crossed the Taiwan Strait.
Like most countries, the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but it is Taiwan’s most important ally and major arms seller.
Over the past year, Beijing, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, has stepped up its military threat campaign against Taiwan.
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