US Navy sends two warships through Taiwan Strait, risking friction with Beijing
- The destroyer USS Stethem and cargo and ammunition ship USS Cesar Chavez went through the strategic waterway on Monday
- It was the second such transit in about a month
The United States sent two Navy ships through the Taiwan Strait on Monday as the US military increased the frequency of movement through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China.
The second such voyage in about a month risks further raising tensions with China but will likely be viewed by self-ruled Taiwan as a sign of support from the Trump administration amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.
“The ships’ transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement.
The two ships were identified as the destroyer USS Stethem and Navy cargo and ammunition ship USS Cesar Chavez, the statement added. The 180km (112 mile)-wide Taiwan Strait separates Taiwan from China.
On January 24, the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell and the USNS Walter S. Diehl conducted what the US Navy called “a routine” Taiwan Strait transit.