UPDATE - Chinese Army Accuses US, Canada Of Deliberate Provocation In Taiwan Strait

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2023) Canada and the United States, whose warships transited the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, are deliberately creating incidents and provoking risks, undermining regional peace and stability, Shi Yi, the spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), said.

On June 3, the US Indo-Pacific Command said the Chinese military ship PRC LY 132 came within 150 yards of the USS Chung-Hoon destroyer during a joint Canada-US mission in the Taiwan Strait, during which the ships reportedly crossed the strait.

Shi stressed that China's military will always remain on high alert and take all necessary measures to resolutely respond to all threats and provocations and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability.

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shanfu also said that foreign warships and aircraft are approaching Chinese territory not for peaceful passage, but for provocation.

"As Defense Minister, I see a lot of information about foreign ships and fighter jets coming into areas near our territory.

They are not here for innocent passage, but for provocation," he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue Summit.

Li added that Beijing sees no problem in ensuring freedom of navigation and peaceful passage of foreign ships in relevant waters, but is keen to prevent attempts to use such freedom of navigation and peaceful passage as a pretext for maritime hegemony.

The situation around Taiwan recently escalated again after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April, with Beijing launching massive three-day military drills near the island in what it called a "warning" to Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers.

Taiwan has been governed independently of mainland China since 1949. Beijing considers the island a province of China, while Taiwan claims it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contacts with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable