BEIJING (Dispatches) — China protested Wednesday against the sailing of a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer through the Taiwan Strait the previous day, accusing the American side of hyping the maneuver.
“The United States frequently carries out such provocative actions, sending wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces, and deliberately undermining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. We firmly oppose it,” the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command said in a statement on Wednesday.
It added that its forces monitored and warned off the American warship.
The U.S. Navy declared on Tuesday that its guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson had conducted what it claimed was a “routine Taiwan Strait transit in accordance with international law.”
U.S. naval forces have been conducting such maneuvers near Chinese waters about once a month, irking Beijing, which considers the sailings as a sign of support for the self-governed island territory of Chinese Taipei, which is the sovereign territory of China.
China denounces U.S. support for Taiwan, including sales of military equipment to boost its defense and visits by American lawmakers and other government officials.
Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said China opposes any kind of military ties between Taiwan and the U.S.
“The Taiwan issue concerns China’s core interest,” he said at a biweekly news conference. “We will by no means allow — and strongly oppose — any interference by exterior forces.”