China Accuses US Warship Of 'Deliberately' Disrupting Situation In Taiwan Strait- Military

The presence of the US Navy's guided-missile destroyer in the Taiwan Strait disrupts regional stability, Zhang Chunhui, a spokesman for China's Eastern Theater Command, said on Wednesday

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2021) The presence of the US Navy's guided-missile destroyer in the Taiwan Strait disrupts regional stability, Zhang Chunhui, a spokesman for China's Eastern Theater Command, said on Wednesday.

"The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain sailed through the Taiwan Strait on April 7, and the Chinese [People's Liberation Army] PLA Eastern Theater Command conducted whole-process tracking and monitoring on it," Zhang said, as cited in the Chinese Defense Ministry's statement, adding that "the warship's action ... deliberately disrupted and undermined the regional situation, and jeopardized the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

The military official stressed that China was firmly opposed to it.

"The troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command will keep high alert, get ready to respond to all threats and provocations at all times, and faithfully perform their duties and missions," Zhang added.

The US Navy said earlier in the day that the destroyer was carrying out a "routine transit" through the Taiwan Strait and emphasized that the US military would continue to fly, sail, and operate anywhere where international law permits.

Beijing considers the self-ruled island of Taiwan part of China, but Washington does not recognize the territorial claim.

China has previously accused the US of undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait by sending US warships through the waterway.