The Chinese military has blasted the US and Canada for sending their warships through the Taiwan Strait, claiming such stunts jeopardize regional stability, after Beijing itself staged beach war drills in a nearby province.
American Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey and Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg both sailed through the waterway that separates Taiwan from mainland China last week, triggering a blistering response from the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command.
Chinese forces “always maintain a high level of alert and resolutely counter all threats and provocations,” Beijing’s military stated.
The Pentagon meanwhile insisted that “Dewey’s and Winnipeg’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Beijing considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory under its ‘One China’ policy and does not recognize its autonomy. Amid the escalating war of words, the Chinese military posted a video last week of its troops practicing beach landings, assault drills and building beachheads, conducted in the southern part of Fujian province right across the straits from Taiwan. In response, a military official in Taipei vowed that the island “will meet the enemy full on” in case of conflict.
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