Thursday, June 22, 2023

US Coast Guard ship transited Taiwan Strait after Blinken's China visit -US Navy


Reuters:

US Coast Guard ship transited Taiwan Strait after Blinken's China visit -US Navy


June 22, 2023



A Philippine Coast Guard boat passes by U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) during drills in the first trilateral coast guard exercise between the Philippines, Japan, and the U.S., at the coast of Bataan, Philippines in the South China Sea, June 6, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File photo


TAIPEI, June 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. Coast Guard ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in a transit that China described as "public hype", after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken having wrapped up a high-profile, widely watched visit to Beijing a day earlier.

The national security cutter Stratton made a "routine" Taiwan Strait transit on Tuesday "through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law", the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said on Thursday.

The politically sensitive strait, which separates China from the democratically governed island of Taiwan, is a frequent source of tension as Beijing steps up its political and military pressure to try to force Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.

"Stratton's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows," the 7th Fleet added in its statement.

The mission happened the day after Blinken ended a visit to Beijing, in which the two countries agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough.

Taiwan's defence ministry said the ship sailed in a northerly direction, and its forces monitored the situation which it described as "normal".

The Chinese coast guard described the ship's transit as "public hype".

Chinese vessels tailed the U.S. ship "all the way", a spokesperson at China's coast guard said in a statement, adding that China will "resolutely" safeguard its sovereignty and security and maritime rights and interests.

U.S. military vessels, and on occasion those of its allies, have routinely sailed through the strait in recent years, to the anger of China, which views such missions as provocation.

This month the U.S. Navy released a video of an "unsafe interaction" in the strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a U.S. destroyer operating with a Canadian warship.

Taiwan's military reports almost daily Chinese incursions in the strait, mostly warplanes that cross the waterway's median line, which once served as an unofficial barrier between the two.

On Wednesday, Taiwan said Chinese warships led by the aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through the strait.


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kt comments:

A Coast Guard protects a nation's borders and economic and security interests within that nation's EEZ. WTF was a US Coast Guard ship wandering around a foreign nation's waters, 12,000 kms from the USA?

Wasn't that sheer provocation, rendered even more bizarre after the US sec of State had just visited China?

The Wankees cannot be trusted as they act inconsistently, recklessly, arrogantly and without respect for other nations [unless that nation can soon be of some use to her, eg. India, Vietnam, wakakaka, then it's e;f;f;-o;f;f; to human rights and other BS].



4 comments:

  1. A ship sailing in international waters In no way violates China's sovereignty.
    CCP is setting up the narrative that the US military cannot operate anywhere west of Hawaii, and that ain't gonna happen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mfer, do u understand what & how the Yankee's
      "routine" Taiwan Strait transit on Tuesday "through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law" meant?

      Yr idol isn't a signatory to The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - where the jurisdictions of maritime laws on governing freedom of sails and operates anywhere international water!

      Ooop… the f*cking Yank have his own definition of international navigation freedom based on his might!

      Delete
    2. China signed UNCLOS in 1982, but China's signature is Blardy Fucking useless , because the moment an Arbitration Case under UNCLOS Annex IV for the Phillipines territorial seas dispute ruled unfavourably against China, China chose to shit on UNCLOS.

      Delete
    3. Mfer, care to treble check the pinoy's Arbitration Case under UNCLOS Annex IV for the Phillipines territorial seas against China.

      A tribunal of arbitrators appointed the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) as the registry for the proceedings.

      That gimmickal PCA is not an UN recognised body! So WHY should China even bother to partake in that kangaroo court?

      Ooop… u would willingly accept the outcome of a kangaroo court as long as it's Yankee orchestrated!

      Mfer, u r truly proving yr know-nothing to the nth dimension.

      Delete