China criticises Canadian, Australian warships transiting Taiwan Strait

Beijing: China’s military said its forces had followed and warned a Canadian and an Australian warship, which were sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, in a move it criticised as a provocation.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command said the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec and the Australian guided-missile destroyer Brisbane were engaged in “trouble-making and provocation”.

A photo taken on Philippine Navy BRP Jose Rizal shows it sailing in formation with HMAS Brisbane and Canadian navy frigate HMCS Ville de Québec east of Scarborough Shoal, in the South China Sea, last month.Credit: Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP

“The actions of the Canadians and Australians send the wrong signals and increase security risks,” it said.

There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the Australian armed forces.

A spokesperson said the Canadian armed forces do not comment on sailing plans for currently deployed ships.

Loading

The spokesperson said the Ville de Quebec was deployed as part of Operation Horizon 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.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement that it kept 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.

Over the past five years, China has increased its military pressure on the island, including staging war games nearby.

Reuters

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.

Most Viewed in World

Loading