China Scrambles Warships, Fighter Jets as US Destroyer Crosses Taiwan Strait

The naval and air activity in the Taiwan Strait has intensified as self-governed island vows to maintain its autonomous country status. Chinese President Xi Jinping had warned his US counterpart Joe Biden during their virtual meeting on 11 November, saying any encouragement to Taiwan would be akin to "playing with fire".

On Tuesday, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) said that the US side "created security risks and undermined regional stability" by sending its guided-missile destroyer USS Milius to the Taiwan Strait.

The Chinese military said its forces tracked the passage of the US warship through the strait.

"The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent naval and air forces to conduct close-in tracking and monitoring and guarding against the US warship in the whole course," Senior Colonel Shi Yi, the spokesman for the PLA Eastern Theatre Command, said in a written statement on Tuesday.

The Chinese military said that troops from the PLA Eastern Command will firmly take all measures necessary to counter all threats and provocations in the region.

Earlier in the day, the US 7th Fleet, based out of Asia-Pacific, said the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit on 23 November through international waters in accordance with international law".

"The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," said the US 7th Fleet.

Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway province.

During the Biden-Xi meeting on 11 November, the Chinese President blamed recent tensions on "repeated attempts by the Taiwan authorities to look for US support for their independence agenda as well as the intention of some Americans to use Taiwan to contain China."