U.S. Navy And Coast Guard Ships Pass Through The Taiwan Strait For The Third time This Year

The 110-mile-wide strait separates China and Taiwan. It is seen as a potential geopolitical flashpoint should Beijing seek to take Taiwan by force, but it is international waters

Daily Mail/Reuters: US Navy and Coast Guard ships pass through the strategic 110-mile-wide Taiwan Strait despite opposition from China ahead of trade talks in Beijing

* The United States sailed two ships through the Taiwan Strait, Sunday
* Operation comes as top officials from the Trump administration prepare to travel to Beijing for high-level trade talks
* The Trump administration has sought to make the Taiwan Strait transits more routine, with the operations now taking place on a monthly basis
* Prior to July, the transits occurred only about once a year
* The 110-mile-wide strait separates China and Taiwan - it is seen as a potential geopolitical flashpoint should Beijing seek to take Taiwan by force
* Beijing continues to lay claim to Taiwan, a self-governed, democratic island that China views as a breakaway province
* The two have been separated since the end of a bloody civil war in 1949
* While the strait constitutes international waters, China is thought to be very sensitive about the presence of US military forces there

The United States sent Navy and Coast Guard ships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the military said, as the United States increases the frequency of movement through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China.

The voyage risks further raising tensions with China but will likely be viewed by self-ruled Taiwan as a sign of support from Washington amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.

The two ships were identified as the Navy Curtis Wilbur destroyer and the Coast Guard Bertholf cutter, a U.S. military statement said.

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WNU Editor: This is the third Taiwan Strait transit by the US military in 2019, and the sixth in nine months. China is not amused ..... China Protests After U.S. Navy Sails Through Taiwan Strait Again (Bloomberg).

More News On U.S. Navy And Coast Guard Ships Passing Through The Taiwan Strait

US sails two ships through Taiwan Strait ahead of trade talks in Beijing -- CNN
US vessels defy China and sail through Taiwan Strait -- Taiwan News
Pentagon sends ships through Taiwan Strait amid tensions with China -- The Hill
US coastguard cutter takes part in ‘freedom of navigation’ in Taiwan Strait for the first time -- SCMP
U.S. Sends Coast Guard Cutter And Navy Destroyer Through The Tense Taiwan Strait -- Warzone/The Drive
US Navy Sails Ships Through Taiwan Strait for Third Time in Three Months -- Sputnik