Chinese โMilitary โฃWarns Canadian and Australian warships After Taiwan Strait Passage
Beijing, China – Chinese forces shadowed and issued warnings to Canadian and Australian warships that recently transited the Taiwan Strait, deeming the passage a deliberate “provocation,” Reuters reportedโ Saturday. The move underscores escalating tensions in the region as international โnavies increasingly assert freedom of navigation rights.
According to a statement released byโข the Eastern Theater Command ofโฃ the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the activity by the Canadian and Australian vessels “sends the wrong signals, increases security risks, and their โships deliberatelyโ create trouble and provoke confrontation.”
Canada’s โคArmed Forces declined to comment โon โฃthe deployment plansโค of its ships. However, they confirmed โขthat the โคfrigate Ville de Quรฉbec is currently โขparticipating in Operationโ Horizon, a multinational โeffortโข aimedโ at โbolsteringโ peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The Canadian government also notedโข the frigate recently conducted operations within the Philippine Economic Zone.Theโฃ Australian military has yet to โrespond to โa request for comment from Reuters โขregarding โขthe passage of the missile destroyer Brisbane through theโข strait.
Taiwan’s โMinistry of Defense stated it is closely monitoring developmentsโค in the Taiwan Strait โandโฃ has deployed appropriateโ air and naval assetsโ to maintain securityโ andโ stability. The ministry โขhighlighted that vessels from โฃallied nations, including the United States (approximately monthly), and less frequently the United Kingdom, Canada, and France, โฃregularly navigateโ the โขstrait, asserting its status as an international waterway.
The incident occurs against a backdrop of china’s longstanding claim to Taiwan, which it views as โa renegadeโข province destined for โreunification – by force if necessary. Beijing adheres to aโ “One China” policy, refusing to recognizeโข Taiwan as an independent political entity. โDespite this,Taiwan has functionedโข de facto independently since 1949,maintaining its own democratically elected โคgovernment and institutions. โคChina considers the taiwan Strait to be within โits territorial waters,โ a claim vehemently rejected by the Taiwanese government.
