China’s military on Monday said a Canadian warship that passed through the Taiwan Strait “undermines peace.”
A statement from a Chinese military spokesperson said Canada’s actions “deliberately stir up trouble and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Beijing dispatched its air and naval forces around the area, and will “resolutely counter all threats and provocations,” the statement said.
Canada did not make any immediate statement. The ship had passed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said, “Canada has once again taken concrete actions to defend the freedom, peace and openness of the Taiwan Strait and has demonstrated its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters.”
The Taiwan Strait: A geopolitical flash point in Asia
The Canadian ship passed the Taiwan Strait just days after two US ships had made the passage, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said.
The US destroyer and ocean survey ship travelling through the strait also angered China, which said it sent the “wrong signal and increased security risks.” These were the first vessels to pass the strait since Donald Trump took office as the US president in January.
The US and its allies like Canada, Britain and France consider the Taiwan Strait an international waterway and use it often for transport.
Self-ruled island Taiwan is viewed by China as its own territory. The Taiwan Strait separates Taiwan from mainland China, and Beijing claims jurisdiction over the water body.
A few days after China’s war games around the island last year, a US and a Canadian warship had sailed together in the strait.
Also on Monday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had spotted 41 Chinese aircraft and nine warships near its territory in the last 24 hours.