Chinese Army: US 'made a fuss' by sending warship

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Jan 2023 17:24

Once again, China was angered after a US-guided missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait.

USS Chung-Hoon (AFP)

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) spokesperson said, on Friday, that the transit of a US destroyer across the Taiwan Strait heightened tensions with the Chinese military closely monitoring ships' activities along the whole route.

"USS Chung-Hoon passed through the Taiwan Strait on January 5 and made a fuss," PLA Eastern Theater Command Spokesperson Shi Yi said in a post on social media.

According to the statement, China's armed forces observed the US destroyer's passage along its entire route, ensuring that all of its operations were under control.

This comes shortly after a US Navy warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait. The passage was carried out by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon, according to a US Navy statement, and was described as a “routine activity”.

Simultaneously, a spokesperson for China's Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said China decisively opposed the move, urging the US to "immediately stop provoking troubles, escalating tensions and undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

"US warships frequently flex muscles in the name of exercising freedom of navigation. This is not about keeping the region free and open," the Spokesperson said in the statement.

"China will continue to stay on high alert and is ready to respond to all threats and provocations at any time, and will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he concluded.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait reached an all-time high in August 2022, following a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, the US continues to irk China by sailing its warships through the Taiwan Strait and arming Taiwan with billions of dollars worth of weapons.