BEIJING, April 25 (Alliance News): China has issued a strong warning to the United States after a US guided-missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait, calling the move “public hyping” and urging Washington to stop distorting facts.
The Chinese military said it tracked and warned the USS William P. Lawrence as it made a transit through the sensitive waterway on Wednesday.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army criticized the United States for “inverting right and wrong” and misleading international perception with its remarks regarding the strait.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, views such transits as provocative, despite them being routine under international law.
The US Indo-Pacific Command, however, stated that the operation was a standard “freedom of navigation” transit through international waters, reaffirming America’s commitment to maintaining open sea lanes.
This was the second such transit since Donald Trump began his second term as US president, amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
China recently held military exercises around Taiwan, prompting concern from the US and its allies.
China released a video showing its naval personnel monitoring the US ship, although it did not disclose the exact coordinates of the encounter.
The US insists that navigation rights in the Taiwan Strait should not be restricted, reinforcing its position on maintaining international maritime laws.
