Ignoring China's Condemnation, US Missile Destroyer Returns To Sailing In The Taiwan Strait

The USS Milius (DDG-69) missile destroyer. (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy/Journalist 2nd Class Zack Baddorf)

JAKARTA - A US warship again sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, part of what the US military calls routine but has always irked China, whose government believes Washington is trying to stir regional tensions.

The US Navy said the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Milius (DDG-69), was again making a "routine transit in the Taiwan Strait" through international waters in accordance with international law.

"The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates wherever international law allows," the US Navy said, citing Reuters November 23.

So far, there has been no response from China regarding the re-passing of Uncle Sam's warships in the Taiwan Strait area which Beijing strongly opposes.

Last month, China's military condemned the United States and Canada for each sending warships through the Taiwan Strait, saying they threaten peace and stability in the region.

China claims Taiwan is democratically governed as its own territory and has carried out repeated air force missions to Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the past year or so, sparking anger in Taipei.

The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is its most important international backer and arms supplier.

Meanwhile, Beijing called Taiwan the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with Washington.

To note, US Navy ships have been transiting the Taiwan Strait approximately every month, which infuriated Beijing. US allies have occasionally sent ships through the strait, including Britain in September.