Two US Missile Explore Ships Traveling In Taiwan Strait, White House Says Consistency To One China Policy

The warship USS Antietam (CG-54) belongs to the United States. (Wikimedia Commons/PH3 DAVID LLOYD)

JAKARTA - The White House said the passing of two US warships in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday had long been planned, saying it was consistent with their policies on one China.

The US Navy confirmed reports of missile cruisers USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) and USS Antietam (CG-54) crossing the region, as reported by Reuters, August 29.

Such operations usually take eight to 12 hours to complete and are closely monitored by the Chinese military.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said crossing two of their warships through international waters in the Taiwan Strait was "very consistent" with the United States' "one China policy", consistently searching for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

"It's been planned for a long time," said John Kirby on CNN.

In recent years, US warships, and sometimes ships from allied countries such as Britain and Canada, regularly sailing through the strait, sparked anger against China claiming Taiwan was against its democratically elected government objections.

This cruise is also the first, following the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan earlier this month.

It angered China for seeing it as US efforts to interfere in its internal affairs. China then launched a military exercise near the island which has since continued.

"These ships (US) transit through corridors in the straits that are outside the sea of any coastal country," the US Navy said.

Meanwhile, China's military East Theater Command said it was following those ships and warning them.

"Party at the theater remains on high alert and is ready to thwart provocations at any time," the command said in a statement.

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said the ships sailed south and looked at the situation.

The narrow Taiwan Strait has often been a source of military tension since the government of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan in 1949, after losing a civil war to the communists, who founded the People's Republic of China.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

While China has never ruled out using force, to bring Taiwan under its control.