American and Canadian Warships Joint Second Time Within A Year To Transit Through The Taiwan Strait

According to a foreign media report on Sep 21st, the U.S. Pacific Fleet posted a message on its website that Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver made a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on Sep 20th, which is the US warship’s second transit in a month and the second joint transit by the US and Canadian navy in less than a year since last October.

Although CCP has been condemning and warning about the mission and even staged live-fire exercises across the Taiwan Strait, warships of allied nations such as the US, UK and Canada routinely sailed through the strait in recent years. The US Navy stated that the operations were core initiatives to build regional security and prosperity.

The warships of both nations made the transit along the median line in the strait which is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state. The Canadian defense minister said in a statement that the transit demonstrated Ottawa’s commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and Canada, as a Pacific nation, was steadfastly committed to maintaining global stability and regional prosperity. Taiwan’s foreign ministry welcomed the military action.