Canadian warship sails through Taiwan Strait

TAIPEI: Taiwan´s defence ministry said on Thursday that a Canadian warship sailed a day earlier through the Taiwan Strait, a sensitive waterway separating the democratic island from China.

The navies of the United States and its Western allies, meanwhile, have increased “freedom of navigation” crossings through the strait to reinforce its status as an international waterway, angering Beijing.

Taipei said on Thursday that the Canadian ship´s transit took place on Wednesday, with the warship travelling “from north to south”.

“The military has monitored the situation and no anomaly was detected in our surroundings,” the defence ministry statement said.

Li Xi, a spokesman for the Chinese military´s Eastern Theater Command, condemned the passage.

“Canada´s actions disturbed the situation and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Li said.

“(Our) troops are always on high alert and ready to respond to any threats and provocations at any time,” he added.

The Halifax-class frigate “HMCS Montreal recently conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait”, the Canadian Joint Operations Command confirmed on social media platform X without providing a date.