US ships pass through Taiwan Strait for first time since Trump took office
Last Updated on February 16, 2025 5:59 am
Two US Navy ships transited the Taiwan Strait this week, the first time a US ship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait since Donald Trump took office.
China has reacted sharply to the presence of US ships in the Taiwan Strait, which Beijing says poses a security risk.
The US Navy sometimes accompanies allied ships and transits the Taiwan Strait at least once a month. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, claiming the strategic waterway as its own.
The US Navy said the two ships, the Earle Barke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch, have transited the Taiwan Strait. The two ships, sailing north to south, will make the crossings between February 10 and 12, the US Navy said.
The two ships were transiting the strait outside the territorial waters of any coastal state, said Navy Commander Matthew Comer, a spokesman for the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command.
The Chinese military said it had sent forces to monitor the waterway.