The US and Canadian navies launch a joint mission in the Taiwan Strait. PHOTOS/Reuters
The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the guided-missile destroyers USS Chung-Hoon and the Canadian HMCS Montreal were conducting ‘routine’ transits of the strait ‘through waters where freedom of navigation and overflight apply in accordance to international law”.
“The bilateral transits of Chung-Hoon and Montreal through the Taiwan Strait demonstrate the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the 7th Fleet said. US Navy in a statement.
While US warships pass through the strait once a month, it is not uncommon for them to do so with other US allied ships. The mission took place as US and Chinese defense chiefs were attending a major regional security summit in Singapore.
At the event, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin chastised China for refusing to hold military talks, dragging the superpower into a stalemate over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
China has stepped up military and political pressure in an attempt to force Taiwan to accept Beijing’s sovereignty claims, which the Taipei government vehemently rejects.
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