The Defense Ministry stated on Friday that an Australian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday. The ship, which the ministry did not name, sailed southwards through the strait. The ministry says the military maintained surveillance over the surrounding seas and airspace, reporting that all conditions were normal.
This follows a recent dispute between Australia and China over naval patrols. Last week Australia accused a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) destroyer of acting in a dangerous manner, disrupting an Australian naval vessel on duty in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and causing injury to an Australian military diver.
The ministry also announced a total of five Chinese ships and six aircraft sorties were detected operating around the Taiwan Strait between 6 a.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday. It says one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The ministry says it tasked aircraft, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems to closely monitor and respond.