Two warships, USS Chung-Hoon and Canadian HMCS Montreal, passed through the straits today. Taiwanferry, which in recent years has become a geopolitical tinderbox.

“The passage of Chung Moon and Montreal demonstrates the commitment of the United States, its allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US 7th Fleet said.

The US and Canada “are partners working for peace and security in the region,” the Canadian military said on Twitter.

Chinese reaction

Chinese military authorities said they observed the crossing of two vessels. “These countries deliberately create problems in the Taiwan Strait and deliberately increase the risks, shamelessly undermining regional peace and stability,” said Colonel Xi Yi, a spokesman for the Chinese military in the Eastern Zone.

American warships often pass through the Taiwan Strait, but are rarely escorted by ships from other allied nations. The last time this happened was in September last year.

US and Chinese Defense Secretaries Lloyd Austin and Li Shangfu met for the first time at a dinner to mark the opening of the Shangri-La Defense Dialogue in Singapore. They shook hands and started a short conversation.

Since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, China has considered Taiwan a province that it has yet to reunite with the mainland. Relations between Beijing and Taipei have soured in recent years, especially since President Xi Jinping came to power in China.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}