US and Canadian warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, following remarks by President Joe Biden over the weekend that the US would defend Taiwan if it was attacked by China. The US Navy ship, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins, made a “routine transit through the Taiwan Strait” on Tuesday, US Navy spokesman Lt. Mark Langford. The U.S. ship made the transit “in cooperation with the Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver,” Langford said.
Both ships “went through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state,” Lt. Langford said. The transit “demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Lt. Col. Langford added. Tuesday’s transit marked the second time in just over three weeks that a US Navy warship has made the trip. The guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville did so on 28 August.
Since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in early August, the US has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Chinese warships and submarines around Taiwan, a US defense official told. Although the U.S. called the transit “routine,” it comes after Biden added fuel to tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan when he told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he would use U.S. troops to defend the island if China tried to invade.
Chinese law and its interpretation
The strait is a 110-mile (180-kilometer) stretch of water that separates the democratic island of Taiwan from mainland China. Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan an island of 23 million people despite the fact that China’s ruling Communist Party has never controlled it. Beijing also claims sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the waters of the Taiwan Strait under Chinese law and its interpretation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
However, the US Navy maintains that most of the strait is in international waters, citing the UNCLOS definition of territorial waters as extending 12 nautical miles (22.2 kilometers) from a country’s coast. The US regularly sends its warships through the strait and has made dozens of such transits in recent years.
In an interview, Biden was asked if “American forces, American men and women, will defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.” “Yes,” the American president replied. The comments reiterate a pledge to defend Taiwan that Biden has made before, though he said on Sunday that “American men and women” would be involved in the effort.
Canada’s Defense Department chief of media relations, Daniel Le Bouthillier, confirmed on Tuesday that Canada was participating in the transit. “After port visits in Jakarta, Indonesia and Manila, Philippines, HMCS Vancouver sailed through the Taiwan Strait with USS Higgins as it was the most direct navigation route. This voyage was conducted in full compliance with international law, including the high seas.” navigational rights as set out in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said Le Bouthillier
Chinese aircraft and ships were present at “various parts” of the transit of US and Canadian ships, the US military confirmed, but “all interactions with foreign military forces during the transit were in accordance with international standards and procedures and did not affect the operation”. Langford said. Beijing was quick to condemn Biden’s comments over the weekend and reiterated its warning that China reserves the “option to take all necessary measures” to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
“The U.S. remarks seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three U.S.-China joint communiques. It is also a serious violation of the U.S.’s important commitment not to support Taiwan independence,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Spokesman Mao Ning said this at a briefing on Monday. “It sent a serious wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatist forces. China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition and has made serious representations to the US side,” Mao added.
US and Canadian warships last sailed through the strait at the same time 11 months ago, when the destroyer USS Dewey and the frigate HMCS Winnipeg made the trip. Following this transit, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army, said in a written statement that “the U.S. and Canada carried out provocations of a heinous nature and incited trouble in the raids, which seriously threatened peace and stability.” across the Taiwan Strait.” Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said “reunification” between China and Taiwan is inevitable and has refused to rule out the use of force. Tensions between Beijing and Taipei are at their highest in a decade, with the Chinese military holding major military exercises near the island.
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