Australian and Canadian warships sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait have been followed and warned by China’s military, with Beijing describing the incident as a provocation.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command said the Australian guided-missile destroyer Brisbane and the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec were engaged in “trouble-making and provocation”.
“The actions of the Canadians and Australians send the wrong signals and increase security risks,” it said.
A spokesperson said the Canadian armed forces do not comment on sail plans for currently deployed ships.
The spokesperson said the Ville de Quebec is deployed as part of Operation Horizon, meant to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Ville de Quebec was operating in the Philippine economic zone earlier this week, participating in freedom of navigation exercises, according to a Canadian government statement.
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the Australian armed forces.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement that it keeps a close watch on activity in the strait and “dispatches appropriate air and naval forces to ensure the security and stability” of the waterway, which separates communist China from the democratic island of Taiwan.
The US Navy and, on occasion, ships from allied countries including Canada, Britain and France transit the strait, which they consider an international waterway, about once a month. Taiwan also considers it an international waterway.
China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, says the strategic waterway is part of its territorial waters. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s territorial claims.
China has increased its military pressure on the island over the past five years, including staging war games nearby.
