China Protests US and Canadian Warships Passing Through Taiwan Strait with Military Demonstration

17 Military Aircraft and 4 Warships in Taiwan's Southwest Airspace...

China opposed the passage of US and Canadian warships through the Taiwan Strait and deployed military aircraft and warships near Taiwan.

According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense on the 10th, the Taiwanese military detected maritime activities of 17 Chinese military aircraft from 8 a.m. that day. Fighters (J-10, J-16, etc.), fighter-bombers (JH-7), early warning aircraft (KJ-500, etc.), anti-submarine patrol aircraft (Y-8), and drones were detected, with 11 of these crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entering the airspace southwest of Taiwan. Four warships also conducted joint patrols.

This move by the Chinese military occurred after US and Canadian warships passed through the Taiwan Strait. According to the US Navy 7th Fleet the previous day, the US Navy destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Canadian frigate HMCS Ottawa conducted a 'routine' transit through the Taiwan Strait. The 7th Fleet explained that they passed through the area in accordance with international law.

The median line of the Taiwan Strait is an unofficial boundary established in 1955 by US Air Force General Benjamin Davis to prevent military clashes between China and Taiwan, following the mutual defense treaty signed between the US and Taiwan in December 1954. China considers the Taiwan Strait as its own territorial waters.