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China has openly criticized the United States after a US Navy Destroyer conducted a naval moment through the Taiwan Strait. 

Senior Captain Li Xi, spokesperson for China’s Eastern Theater Command, accused the US of “hyping up” the passage of the USS Halsey, which took place amid efforts to stabilize military communications between Washington and Beijing.

The US Navy’s 7th Fleet explained that the Halsey’s transit was a routine movement conducted according to international laws supporting high-seas navigation and overflight freedoms. The fleet stated that the destroyer’s path was through a corridor in the strait that lies beyond any coastal state’s territorial sea, reinforcing the operation’s compliance with international maritime regulations.

In a statement, the US Navy stressed the strategic importance of such transits, asserting, “Halsey’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle. No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”