A US warship passed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday. The USS Chancellorsville is the ninth US warship to pass through the strait this year. The most recent passage took place on September 20.
At the Legislature on Wednesday, Defense Minister Yen De-fa said the transit was a freedom of navigation voyage. He said that it is also a part of US President Donald Trump’s Indo-Pacific strategy and US efforts to ensure regional peace and security.
The defense ministry says that the US warship sailed through the strait from north to south, before exiting through the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines.
US Commander Reann Mommsen, a spokesperson for the US 7th fleet, said “Guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Nov. 12 (local time) in accordance with international law. The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.” Mommsen added, “The U.S. Navy will continue to fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows.”