PLA monitors US, Canadian naval ships passing through Taiwan Strait

The Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army dispatched its naval and air forces to track and monitor a United States Navy ship and a Royal Canadian Navy ship that passed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday morning, according to a command spokesman.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi said that the USS Rafael Peralta, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer under the US 7th Fleet, and the Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa transited the strait, and the passage was sensationalized by both of their navies.

Ships and warplanes from Shi's command remained on alert as they monitored the vessels throughout their passage and took lawful countermeasures, he added.

The Eastern Theater Command will always be on high alert to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security, and to maintain peace and stability in the region, according to the spokesman.

The US 7th Fleet said in a statement published on its website that the US and Canadian vessels "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law".