For the first time, a Chinese ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and the Chinese island, according to Chinese internet.
The Sazanami, a Maritime Self-Defense Force warship, passed through the sea on Wednesday as it approached bilateral training in the South China Sea, according to federal options who were cited as saying.
Navy boats from Australia and New Zealand, which were part of the training, transited the lake with the Chinese vehicle.
This comes less than two days after Germany sent two ships across the constricting body of water, which it claimed was a show of its freedom of navigation, drawing criticism from China.
Taiwan’s and Japan’s defense ministers have never made any comments on the section.
According to an unknown source, the Chinese military “monitored and tracked the vessels ‘ complete course and had the situation under control,” according to the Chinese state paper Global Times.
The 180-kilometer ( 112-mile ) strait, which is a major shipping and trade route through which pass about half of the world’s container fleet, is a key shipping and commercial corridor open to all naval vessels, according to the US and Taiwan.
But China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, claims independence and control over the sea.
Japan’s reported travel is “part of a broader pattern of greater naval presence by places in and outside Asia that are concerned about China’s sea claims,” according to Bec Strating, an international relations teacher at La Trobe University in Australia.
” Japan in particular has been dealing with China’s ‘ grey area ‘ methods in the East China Sea”, she told AFP news organization.
According to experts, grey area warfare strategies are intended to thwart an attack over a long period of time.
Washington and its allies are increasing the frequency with which they cross the Taiwan Strait to strengthen its position as a global lake.
Germany allegedly increased security threats by sailing through the sea on September 13th, according to China’s defense, but Berlin asserted that it did so in accordance with international norms. A European naval vessel traversed the strait for the first time in 22 years.
In recent years, Canada, Australia, and the UK have likewise sailed ships through the sea.
In recent months, Tokyo has reported a rise in Chinese martial action close to Japan and nearby Taiwan.
Last week, Beijing sent an aircraft carrier between two Japanese islands near Taiwan for the first time. In August, a Chinese spy plane flew inside Japan’s airspace, prompting Tokyo to condemn the incursion as “utterly unacceptable” and a “serious violation of sovereignty”.
China’s officials, Japan, Australia, India, and the US, announced last week that they do increase maritime security cooperation in order to combat its growing confidence in the South China Sea.