US Navy sails missile destroyer USS Milius through Taiwan Strait

Taipei: The US Navy said on Monday that its guided-missile destroyer the USS Milius had entered and sailed through the Taiwan Strait under the "freedom of navigation" operation.

The operation comes days after China carried out military exercises over the island last week. US Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement that the warship "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law".

In response to the operation, China said that it had tracked an American warship that sailed through the Taiwan Strait, adding the United States had "publicly hyped up" its transit.

Colonel Shi Yi, a PLA spokesman, said: "Theatre troops remain on a high level of alert at all times and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability."

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Sharing images of crew looking out into the Taiwan Strait on Twitter, the 7th Fleet said, "The ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State."

The statement elaborated that the exercise was meant to demonstrate America's commitment to promoting a free and open Asia-Pacific region.

China, which views Taiwan as part of its own territory, launched a three-day military exercise around the island on 8 April in which it simulated targeted strikes and practised a blockade of the island.

Beijing began three days of military exercises around the island on Saturday, the day after President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei from Los Angeles, where she met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

On Sunday, China allegedly launched a satellite into orbit while Taiwanese authorities claimed that rocket debris had landed in the sea, where Beijing had this week declared a no-sail zone.

The US had earlier said, "The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows."

With inputs from agencies

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