Posted on 08/29/2021 8:47:18 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON—A U.S. warship and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, Aug. 27, the latest in what Washington calls routine operations through the sensitive waterway that separates Taiwan from China, which claims the self-ruled island.
The passage comes amid a spike in military tensions in the past two years between Taiwan and China, and follows Chinese assault drills last week, with warships and fighter jets exercising off the island’s southwest and southeast coasts.
The Kidd, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, accompanied by the Coast Guard cutter Munro, transited “through international waters in accordance with international law,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement.
“The ships’ lawful transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows,” it said.
The U.S. Navy has been conducting such operations every month or so, angering China, which sees Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratic island under its control.
China on Aug.28 called the move “provocative,” saying the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army organized troops to follow, monitor, and guard the course of the U.S. ships’ operations.
“The United States has frequently carried out similar provocative acts, which are of a very bad nature, fully showing that it is the biggest destroyer of peace and stability and the biggest cause of security risks in the Taiwan Strait. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn this,” China’s defense ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said in a statement.
“Taiwan is an inseparable part of China. The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair and allows no external interference. We call on the U.S. to recognize the situation, stop provocation and abide by the One China principle
(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...
China is part of Taiwan. Fixed it.
The Coast Guard off the Island of Taiwan? Far out, to put it bluntly in the vernacular.
For some reason, this doesn’t feel like the deterrent it once was.
In the Friday news summary on my blog...
Tonight’s summary..
https://nextrushfree.blogspot.com/2021/08/news-summary-intelligence-report-sunday_29.html
Knowing Biden, They were stopping dissidents from escaping from Chins
Symbolism here China isn’t going to play symbolic in the end.
Biden will give our warships to China
We likely don’t have enough oil to keep our boats and planes moving. Biden stopped our energy independence and when he begged OPEC twice they laughed at him.
The US Coast Guard has always had a station in Guam (US Territory). I’m guessing that patrolling the sea lanes and fisheries can take them pretty far.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.