Warships of the U.S. enter the Taiwan Strait, adds to tension in the region

Tension between the United States and China spiked in the aftermath of the recent visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Two ships of the US Navy have now entered the Taiwan Strait. This is the first US naval transit in the waterway since the visit of Nancy Pelosi. The ships are guided-missile cruisers and the US 7th Fleet in Japan explained that the voyage was "through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law." They added that the transit was "ongoing" and that there had been "no interference from foreign military forces so far." Incidentally, the strait is a 110-mile stretch of water. It separates the democratic self-ruled island of Taiwan from mainland China. In the words of the US Navy, most of the strait is in international waters. However, Beijing argues that the strait is a part of its "internal waters." US sends two warships through Taiwan Strait, in first transit since Pelosi trip. An international law defines territorial waters as extending 12 nautical miles from the coastline of a country. However, the movement of guided missile destroyers of the US in the straits has drawn angry responses from Beijing.

After the visit of Nancy Pelosi, Beijing has ramped up military naval and aerial maneuvers in the strait. Soon after her arrival in Taiwan on August 2, the People’s Liberation Army PLA announced four days of military exercises in six zones around the island. The maneuvers included war like activities around Taiwan. Those exercises have officially ended but warplanes have continued to cross the median line on a daily basis. Taiwan's Defense Ministry confirms this with statistics. US Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was the latest member of Congress to visit Taiwan. She defied pressure from Beijing and said - "I will not be bullied by Communist China into turning my back on the island." Even though she does not represent the Joe Biden administration, she reiterated her support for Taiwan. She said - "I will never kowtow to the Chinese Communist Party. I will continue to stand with the (Taiwanese) and their right to freedom and democracy. Xi Jinping doesn't scare me."

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