The 7th Fleet says USS John Finn’s passage was a sign of its commitment to a ‘free and open’ Indo-PacificBut Beijing condemns the voyage, the third such under Joe Biden, as a ‘provocation’ that ‘sends the wrong message’
Beijing declared the vessel’s presence in the region a “provocation” that disrupts stability.
“The US ship’s passage sent a wrong message,” said Senior Colonel Zhang Chunhui from the People’s Liberation Army. “Such [actions] serve not only to disrupt the regional situation but also endanger stability in the Taiwan Strait, which we resolutely oppose.”
The US Seventh Fleet said in a statement that the frigate was part of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and was acting in the fleet’s area of operations.
“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.
U.S. warship transits Taiwan Strait, third under Biden administration
03/11/2021 02:07 PM
Image from the U.S. 7th Fleet website
Taipei, March 11 (CNA) A U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer transited through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, the third by a U.S. battleship since President Joe Biden assumed office in January. A U.S. destroyer sailed from north to south through the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement, adding that Taiwan s military monitored the vessel s movements and that the situation in the surrounding area remains normal.
Although the MND did not name the ship, according to the U.S. 7th Fleet, it was the USS John Finn.
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