Chinese ‘tracked’ US Coast Guard vessel transit through Taiwan Strait

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Underlining tensions even after a meeting of the two countries’ top diplomats, China on Thursday said its coast guard had “fully tracked” the passage of a US Coast Guard vessel through the Taiwan Strait.

The Chinese Coast Guard said in a statement that it “tracked” and “fully monitored” the USCGC Stratton (WMSL 752) when it transited through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.

Gan Yu, Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson, said in a statement that it "will resolutely protect China's national sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests.”

The US military’s 7th Fleet deployed in the Asia-Pacific region said in a statement that that the legend-class national security cutter WMSL 752 conducted a “routine Taiwan Strait transit” on Wednesday through waters “where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law.”

“The ship transited through a corridor in the (Taiwan) Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state,” the fleet said in a statement.

Pointing what it called “a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement added: “The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows.”

It is first passage through the Taiwan Strait by a US vessel since Beijing and Washington held high-level talks early this week when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese President Xu Jinping in the Chinese capital.

The passage of any foreign military vessel normally triggers equal response from Beijing in the waterway, which China claims in full.

Separately, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army flew around 29 of its aircraft and sailed around 10 naval vessels around Taiwan on Thursday, said the Defense Ministry of the island nation.

It added that four of the Chinese aircraft crossed into its air defense identification zone, which Beijing does not recognize, as it claims Taiwan as its own territory.