US, Canadian navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait week after China war games

Taipei, Taiwan — 

A U.S. and a Canadian warship sailed done the delicate Taiwan Strait unneurotic Sunday little than a week aft China conducted a caller circular of warfare games astir the island, with Beijing denouncing the ngo arsenic "disruptive."

The U.S. Navy, occasionally accompanied by ships from allied countries, transits the strait astir erstwhile a month. China, which claims Taiwan arsenic its ain territory, besides says the strategical waterway belongs to it.

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said Monday that the destroyer USS Higgins and the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver made a "routine" transit Sunday "through waters wherever high-seas state of navigation and overflight use successful accordance with planetary law."

The transit demonstrated the United States' and Canada's committedness to upholding state of navigation for each countries, it said successful a statement.

"The planetary community's navigational rights and freedoms successful the Taiwan Strait should not beryllium limited. The United States rejects immoderate assertion of sovereignty oregon jurisdiction that is inconsistent with freedoms of navigations, overflight, and different lawful uses of the oversea and air," it said.

China's Eastern Theater Command said its forces monitored and warned the ships.

"The actions of the United States and Canada caused occupation and are disruptive to bid and stableness crossed the Taiwan Strait," it added.

China staged war-games past Monday it said were a informing to "separatist acts" and which drew condemnation from the Taiwanese and U.S. governments.

Taiwan's authorities rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims saying lone the island's radical tin determine their future.