China sharply criticized the United States and the United Kingdom after a U.S. Navy destroyer and a British frigate sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, accusing the two allies of "trouble-making and provocation." The move drew a rapid response from the People's Liberation Army, which said its Eastern Theater Command had deployed naval and air forces to monitor and warn the ships.
The USS Higgins, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, and the HMS Richmond, a Type 23 Duke-class frigate, transited the 110-mile waterway separating Taiwan from mainland China. Beijing considers the strait part of its territorial waters, while the U.S. and its allies maintain it is an international waterway and regularly conduct transits to assert freedom of navigation.
"The actions of the United States and Britain send the wrong signals and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," China's Eastern Theater Command said in a statement. The Chinese military has increased its operations near Taiwan over the past five years, including staging large-scale exercises simulating blockades and invasions.
Both Washington and London described the transit as routine and consistent with international law. "Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international law and norms," the U.K. Ministry of Defence said, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command echoed that view, saying, "Navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited."
China's response comes amid heightened military activity in the region. Earlier Friday, the PLA confirmed that its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, currently undergoing sea trials, also passed through the strait. Last week, Canadian and Australian warships made similar transits, underscoring the growing multinational presence in the area.
The passage by U.S. and allied vessels typically occurs about once a month, part of a long-standing effort to challenge Beijing's claims and reassure allies in the region. Taiwan's government also considers the strait an international waterway, rejecting Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over the passage.
The tensions over the transit come as Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council head, Chiu Chui-cheng, warned during a visit to Washington that China was preparing for a possible invasion of the island. "If Taiwan were to fall it would cause a regional domino effect that would threaten U.S. security," Chiu said.
