The USS Milius passed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. The US Navy called the move Monday a “routine” crossing, days after China completed its latest military exercises around the island.

China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, officially ended its three-day exercise around the island last Monday, which included targeted fire and a blockade of the island.

Beijing staged the exercise to express its anger over Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which it sees as meddling in China’s internal affairs and US support for Taiwan’s independence from China.

The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Milius made a “routine crossing of the Taiwan Strait” through waters “where, under international law, freedom of navigation and overflight operates over the high seas.”

The ship’s passage demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, he said.

The Chinese military said in a social media post that it has instructed troops to track the US destroyer throughout its operation.

The U.S. Navy sends warships through the strait about once a month, and also conducts similar missions regularly in the disputed South China Sea.

Last week, the USS Milius sailed near one of the most important artificial and Chinese-controlled islands in the South China Sea, Mischief Reef. Beijing called this action illegal.

After the end of the exercise, China continued its military operations around Taiwan, albeit on a smaller scale.

Taiwan’s defense ministry announced Monday morning that it had detected 18 Chinese military aircraft and four naval ships cruising around Taiwan in the past 24 hours.

China has never renounced the use of force to establish its control over democratically governed Taiwan.

The Taiwanese government rejects China’s territorial claims and says that only the people of the island should decide their future.

Source: Reuters.