After China conducted an encirclement drill around self-ruled Taiwan, the United States Navy made the first public transit of a warship through the Taiwan Strait.
According to the US 7th Fleet, the USS Milius’s passage through the strait on Sunday was completely regular. According to the statement, the ships “transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State.”
In response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s April 5 meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California, China just wrapped up massive air and sea drills in the strait.
On Wednesday, China claimed that the drills were meant as a “serious warning” to pro-independence leaders on Taiwan and their international backers.
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On Monday, China issued a statement protesting the transit, calling the US transit a “public hype” and promising to “resolutely safeguard the country’s sovereignty, safety, and regional peace and stability” if necessary. This statement was issued by the spokesperson for the Eastern Theatre Command, Shi Yilu.
Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy and the other members of Congress took place in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, which was approved by China. The House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Republican Michael McCaul of Texas, was similarly punished for visiting Taiwan.
China launched a rocket with a satellite aboard on Sunday, and the missile splashed down in waters north of Taipei. The satellite launch served no discernible military objective, but it caused aircraft delays and other traffic disruptions.