Stacy
Taiwan Strait, February 12, 2025:
Two American naval vessels transited the Taiwan Strait earlier this week, prompting China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to deploy air and sea forces for monitoring, according to a statement from the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command.
The USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, and the USNS Bowditch, a survey ship, sailed through the strait between Monday and Wednesday. This marks the first US Navy transit through the waterway since Donald Trump assumed president in January. Unlike previous passages, the Indo-Pacific Command did not publicly disclose the operation in advance.
The PLA accused the United States of sending “wrong signals and increasing security risks.” In response, the Taiwanese defense ministry confirmed the transit and maintained “full control over the surrounding sea and airspace.”
The Taiwan Strait remains a sensitive geopolitical flashpoint, with China asserting sovereignty over the island and vowing to reunify it by force if necessary. The United States, while not recognizing Taiwan as an independent state, opposes any attempts to alter the status quo through force.
In the wake of the transit, the PLA ramped up military activity, conducting combat readiness drills that included J-10C fighter jets, J-6K bombers, and the Huaibei frigate. These exercises followed a series of military maneuvers in the region over the past two weeks.
The United States and its allies, including Canada, France, and Germany, view the Taiwan Strait as international waters, ensuring freedom of navigation. In October, the USS Higgins and a Canadian frigate conducted a joint transit, reaffirming this stance.
Beijing continues to denounce such transits as provocations, accusing Washington of escalating tensions in the region.
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Olivia
Kathy
