China Angry US Guided-missile Destroyer Returns To Taiwan Strait

JAKARTA - China condemned the United States (US) on Wednesday as the creator of the biggest security risk in the region, after US warships returned to sailing through the sensitive waterway separating Taiwan - China.

The statement came after the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54), made a 'routine transit' in the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, June 22.

"The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the US Navy's 7th Fleet said.

China is reacting to this unprecedented event. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command said their troops monitored the ship throughout its journey and alerted it.

"The US side is deliberately playing the same old trick and creating trouble and disturbing things in the Taiwan Strait," China criticized.

"This fully demonstrates that the United States is the biggest risk creator for regional security and we firmly oppose this," the statement said.

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said the ship had sailed northward through the strait and the situation was as usual. The same ship transited the strait a month ago, prompting China to accuse the United States of threatening peace and stability.

This routine 'transit' comes about a week after Taiwan said 28 Chinese Air Force aircraft, including nuclear-capable fighters and bombers, entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Largest 'attack' reported to date.

The incident came after the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries issued a joint statement, 'criticizing' China over a series of issues and underscoring the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

To note, the United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with democratic Taiwan. But it is the most important international backer and major arms dealer.

Sino-Taiwan tensions have escalated over the past year, with Taipei complaining that China has repeatedly sent its air force into Taiwan's air defense zone.