Two Warships Cross Taiwan Strait

The U.S. Navy reported that "a U.S. warship and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait today, Saturday, in the second joint mission of its kind since June." The U.S. Seventh Fleet stated that "the guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Canadian ship HMCS Ottawa carried out a 'routine transit in waters... that enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight under international law.'" The statement added: "The dual passage of Ralph Johnson and Ottawa through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific." The Chinese military condemned the transit, as usual during such missions, accusing the two ships of making "public noise" in the strait that separates China from Taiwan, which China considers to be its territory. The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense noted that "the two ships sailed south and that it did not observe anything unusual."