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Reuters

The United States said it sent two warships ships through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, its latest “freedom of navigation” exercise in the waterway, prompting a rebuke from Beijing.
The guided missile destroyer USS Preble and the oiler USNS Walter S Diehl were the two vessels involved, a US military spokesman said.
“The ships’ transit through the Taiwan Strait shows the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet.
The operation was carried out in a “safe and professional” manner, he said.




Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing had lodged “stern representations” with Washington.
“The Taiwan issue is the most sensitive in China-US relations,” he said at the ministry’s daily news briefing in Beijing.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said the US vessels travelled north through the Taiwan Strait and that Taipei had monitored the mission.
Beijing ‘warns off’ US warships in South China Sea as tensions rise
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said there was no cause for alarm. “Nothing abnormal happened during it, please everyone rest assured,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
US warships have sailed through the Taiwan Strait at least once a month since the start of this year. The US restarted such missions on a regular basis in July.
Washington has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help provide the island with the means to defend itself. The Pentagon said Washington had sold Taipei more than US$15 billion worth of weaponry since 2010.

Beijing has been ramping up pressure to assert its sovereignty over the island, which it considers a wayward province awaiting reunification, by force if needed.
Beijing was dismayed about a recent Taiwan Strait passage by a French warship.
China has repeatedly sent military aircraft and ships to circle Taiwan on exercises in the past few years and worked to isolate it internationally, whittling down its diplomatic allies.
US Senate bill proposes sanctions for involvement in ‘illegal’ activities in South and East China seas
On Sunday, the USS Preble sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal claimed by China in the South China Sea, angering Beijing.
The state-run China Daily said in an editorial on Wednesday that China had shown “utmost restraint in responding to the incitements by the US”.
“With tensions between the two countries already rife, there is no guarantee that the presence of US warships on China’s doorstep will not spark direct confrontation between the two militaries,” it said.
 
.


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Taiwan

Two US Navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait

The USNS Walter S Diehl accompanied the missile destroyer USS Preble through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, prompting a protest from Beijing. Photo: AP

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) transits in the the Indian Ocean, March 29, 2018. Picture taken March 29, 2018. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Morgan K. Nall/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

US warships made 92 trips through the Taiwan Strait since 2007

Taiwan’s flag flies alongside two US-made destroyers. Photo: AP

A Taiwanese warship berthed in the Kaohsiung Harbour. Photo: EPA

Map of the Taiwan Strait

China withdraws PLA Navy anniversary invitation to French warship after Taiwan Strait trip

China says the French frigate Vendémiaire illegally entered Chinese waters during a passage through the Taiwan Strait earlier this month. Photo: Edward Wong

China says British Chancellor Philip Hammond is welcome to visit, after fears over warship comment

British defence minister Gavin Williamson had said the HMS Queen Elizabeth’s first mission would include work in the Pacific. Photo: AP

Beijing insists on ‘indisputable sovereignty’ over South China Sea islands as US warships test troubled waters

101101-N-1004S-002 PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 01, 2010) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) provides protection for the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) during a simulated straits transit exercise. Ronald Reagan is underway completing a composite training unit exercise in preparation for an upcoming deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Shawn J. Stewart/Released)

The USS Spruance (front) was one of two American warships to test Beijing’s patience with a “freedom of navigation” close to territory claimed by China in the South China Sea on Monday. Photo: US Navy

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China

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Diplomacy

Missile destroyer USS Preble makes second voyage into contentious waters in a week
Chinese state media says Beijing has lodged ‘stern representations’ with Washington


Missile destroyer USS Preble makes second voyage into contentious waters in a week, while Chinese state media says Beijing has lodged ‘stern representations’ with Washington.


US-China relations

Two US Navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Missile destroyer USS Preble makes second voyage into contentious waters in a week Chinese state media says Beijing has lodged ‘stern representations’ with Washington

Missile destroyer USS Preble makes second voyage into contentious waters in a week

Chinese state media says Beijing has lodged ‘stern representations’ with Washington