TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A U.S. Navy ship has passed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time since China conducted encirclement exercises around self-ruled Taiwan.
The U.S. Seventh Fleet said Sunday’s passage of the aircraft carrier USS Milius through the strait was routine. The cruisers “passed through the corridors of the strait beyond the territorial waters of any coastal state,” the statement said.
China ended its massive air and sea drills in the Strait last week in retaliation for a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited the U.S. earlier this month. China said on Wednesday that the exercise, which simulated encircling Taiwan, was intended to send a “serious warning” to Taiwan independence politicians and their foreign backers on the self-governing island.
China has also sanctioned organizations associated with Tsai’s visit to the United States, including the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library where she met with McCarthy and other members of Congress. Subsequently, the chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee and Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas was also sanctioned for visiting Taiwan.
On Sunday, China launched a rocket carrying a satellite, throwing debris into waters north of the capital, Taipei. While the satellite launch had no apparent military purpose, it disrupted travel and delayed flights.
