A US Destroyer and a Canadian Frigate Sail Through the Taiwan Strait
The US military announced that the Destroyer USS Dewey, accompanied by the Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg, crossed the Taiwan Strait last week.
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the destroyer USS Dewey (US department of defense archive)
The US military announced today that a warship of its own, along with another belonging to the Canadian Navy, crossed the Taiwan Strait at the end of last week.
According to the US military, the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, sailed with the Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg through the strait on Thursday and Friday.
According to the statement, the passage of USS Dewey and HMCS Winnipeg demonstrated "the commitment of the US and its allies to a free and open Indo-Pacific."
Escalating tension in the Indo-Pacific
On the other hand, the Chinese military slammed the US and Canadian warships transit in Taiwan Straits. Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said that the move "endangers peace and stability."
The spokesperson stressed that troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command are ready to respond to all threats and provocations, according to CGTN.
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Chinese J-16 multirole Striker fighter (China's Ministry of National Defense)
This announcement came at a time when the Indo-Pacific region is witnessing escalating tension between the Chinese and Taiwanese sides, which has raised international concerns despite the absence of any violent military actions.
Around 150 Chinese planes have entered the Taiwanese airspace during a period of four days at the start of this month.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that three Chinese combat airplanes (2 J-16s and an anti-submarine aircraft) violated its "air defense" zone again.
