The Chinese army claims that it has sent air and naval units to keep an eye on the ship’s passage and will “resolutely counter all threats and provocations”.
China’s military said that a Canadian warship “undermines peace” in the delicate waterway by traversing the Taiwan Strait.
According to Taiwan’s foreign ministry, the Canadian ship was the first to cross the strait this year on Sunday, only days after two US ships did so.
Li Xi, a spokesman for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement on Monday that Canada’s activities “deliberately stir up trouble and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.
According to Li, the army has sent its air and naval units to keep an eye on and protect the ship’s voyage, and the soldiers would “resolutely counter all threats and provocations”.
The sailing was hailed by Taiwan’s foreign ministry.
“Canada has once again taken concrete actions to defend the freedom, peace and openness of the Taiwan Strait and has demonstrated its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters”, it stated on Sunday.
“Risks to security”
Infuriating China, the United States and its allies frequently cross the 180-kilometer strait to reaffirm its position as an international waterway.
China’s military criticized the US military for sending the “wrong signal and increased security risks” when it deployed a warship and an ocean survey ship across the strait beginning February 10.
This was the first time Washington has crossed the strait since US President Donald Trump took office in January.
In the meantime, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported that during the 24 hours leading up to 6:00am on Monday, it saw nine warships and 41 Chinese aircraft close to the island.
