US-China relations: US warship sails through Taiwan Strait under scrutiny from Beijing

Transit of guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin part of America’s ‘commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific’, US Pacific Fleet says

People’s Liberation Army, Taiwan send destroyer, frigate to monitor warship’s movements

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An MH-60R helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the USS Mustin during routine operations. Photo: US Navy

Published: 6:15pm, 19 Aug 2020Updated: 8:45pm, 19 Aug 2020

The United States sent a warship through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in what it said was a demonstration of its “commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”, as military tensions between Washington, Beijing and Taipei in the region continue to simmer.

According to the US Pacific Fleet, the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin conducted a routine transit through the waterway that separates Taiwan from the Chinese mainland.

“The US 7th Fleet [which is headquartered in Japan] conducts forward-deployed naval operations in support of US national interests in the Indo-Pacific area of operations,” it said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

“As the US Navy’s largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability and prevent conflict.”

US forces would continue to “fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows”, it said.

The USS Mustin conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday. Photo: US Navy