China has again put its military in a "high state of alert" after two US Navy warships recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait. Late last week the US destroyer John McCain sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands administered and militarized by China, upon which the PLA military warned the US to "halt its provocations".
The latest incident was Wednesday, when the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry passed through the strait. Washington was quick to emphasize that it was a “routine transit” like others toward the purpose of peaceful 'freedom of navigation' operations, while Beijing once again denounced the "trouble-stirring statements and moves".
The PLA's Senior Colonel Zhang Chunhui said: "We sternly urge the U.S. to stop making trouble-stirring statements and moves. The command forces are always on high alert in resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits."
These latest tensions based on US presence in the contested sea lanes cased the PLA military to be put on alert. While this is nothing new Chinese President Xi Jinping's language has grown more threatening in referencing talk of war.
While touring a military base at Chaozhou City in the southern province of Guangdong Xi is reported to have told the elite troops to "maintain a state of high alert" and "put all (their) minds and energy on preparing for war".
This also comes at a moment of fresh reports the Trump administration has authorized three types of major weapons sales to Taiwan, which China has condemned as a violation of the long-standing 'One China' status quo. More advanced weapons are also under consideration, thus the threats out of Beijing are only expected to grow more fierce.
China says it tracked a U.S. Navy warship as it passed through the Taiwan Strait and has its forces in the area on high alert, as tensions between the world's two largest economies and rivals for regional influence continue to simmer.
The spokesperson for its Eastern Theater Command, Maj. Zhang Chunxuan, said air and sea forces were mobilized to keep tabs Wednesday on the USS Barry, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.
Zhang said the U.S. has recently been sending "the wrong signal" to proponents of independence for Taiwan, a pro-U.S. self-governing democracy that China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary.
Although the Taiwan Strait is a public waterway, China is extremely sensitive to all U.S. military moves in its periphery amid heightened tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea, trade disputes and other issues.
The U.S. has been "seriously undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region. We are asking the United States to stop making trouble through its words and actions in the Taiwan Strait," Zhang said.
Chinese troops in the Eastern Theater "remain on high alert, resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability around the Taiwan Strait," he said.
In a brief statement, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said the Barry had "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit ... in accordance with international law." "The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the statement said. "The U.S. Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows."
While the U.S. has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in deference to Beijing, Washington is legally bound to ensure the island can defend against threats and is its biggest provider of military hardware. Recent sales have included tanks, missiles and upgraded F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets, while reports say the U.S. is also preparing to offer drones, rocket systems and other missile systems.
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