US and Canadian warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in the first military freedom of navigation operation since US President Joe Biden said the United States would defend Taiwan if the island was attacked by the China.

The US Navy guided missile destroyer ‘USS Higgins’ and the Canadian Navy frigate ‘HMCS Vancouver’ conducted a ‘routine transit’ through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, sailing in waters where freedom of navigation and Overflight on the high seas is legal. international,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pay Ryder told reporters.

China has claimed the Taiwan Strait region as its “internal waters” and “territorial sea”, and does not belong to international waters.

However, under international law, the Taiwan Strait has a corridor of international waters and airspace beyond the territorial sea of ​​any country, through which all ships can navigate freely.

“Higgins and Vancouver’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies, as well as our partners, to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” a statement from the agency added. U.S. Seventh Fleet, which covers the Army of the U.S. Navy. Eastern Pacific and Ocean operations.

The strait separates Taiwan, a self-governing and democratic island, from mainland China.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and the waters around it, although the Chinese Communist Party has never controlled the island.

The transit of the two ships occurred shortly after the television station SCS aired an interview with President Joe Biden, in which he said US troops were ready to defend the island of Taiwan from attack.

Biden has made similar claims before, but in the “60 Minutes” interview, he made it clear that “Americans – men and women” will be part of the effort.

Prior to Biden’s statement, US policy on how it would defend Taiwan if the island was invaded by China was deliberately ambiguous.

Tuesday’s transit marked the second time U.S. Navy warships have sailed through the Taiwan Strait since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. At the end of August, “USS Antietam” and “USS Chancellorsville” also passed through the strait.

Tensions between Beijing and Taipei remain high. Chinese military forces also recently held a major military exercise near the island. [em/rs]