US warships traverse Taiwan Strait for first time since Pelosi visit

Two cruisers pass through a corridor outside territorial waters, US Navy says

The guided-missile cruiser 'USS Chancellorsville' was one of two US Navy warships that sailed through the Taiwan Strait on August 28. US Navy via AP

Washington has sent two US warships through the Taiwan Strait amid rising tensions with China.

The passage of the two ships is "consistent" with US policy, John Kirby, National Security Council spokesperson told CNN.

Mr Kirby said the manoeuvre was planned “long ago” and was "very consistent with our one China policy, very consistent with our desire to make sure that we can continue to work towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Tensions between the two superpowers have been high since US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited the democratic outpost earlier this month.

Ms Pelosi’s visit prompted China to perform a series of military exercises around the island effectively encircling it.

China regards the self-ruled island as part of its national territory and opposes any visits by foreign governments as a recognition of Taiwan as a separate state.

As the US ships passed through the strait, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it was tracking eight Chinese vessels and 23 aircraft in the area.

The US Navy described the two ships' trajectory as “routine”.

“These ships transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state,” the Navy said. “The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”

The US has regularly sent naval ships through the 160-kilometre-wide strait as part of what it calls freedom of navigation manoeuvres.

The Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the Communists, who established the People's Republic of China.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, a member of the US Senate Commerce and Armed Services committees, arrived in Taiwan on Thursday. It was the third visit by American politicians this month, defying pressure from China to halt such trips.

US President Joe Biden has sought to keep tension between Washington and Beijing from boiling over into conflict, stressing that congressional trips are routine.

The US has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

China has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control.

The Chinese Military said it had tracked the passage of the two US ships through their course and "had all movements of the two US warships under control," according to a statement released by Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theatre Command.

With reporting from Reuters.