BEIJING – China criticised the United States on Jan 25 for causing “trouble and provocation” after the US Navy sailed its first warship on Jan 24 through the sensitive Taiwan Strait since presidential and parliamentary elections on the island.

The US Navy said the destroyer, USS John Finn, transited through a corridor in the Taiwan Strait that was “beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state”.

“John Finn’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle,” the US Navy said in its statement.

“No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms.”

China’s Defence Ministry said on Jan 25 that US warships and planes have caused trouble and provocation on China’s doorstep, and carried out large-scale, high-frequency activities in waters and airspace around the country.

Chinese armed forces have handled the matter in accordance with laws, and relevant actions were justified, reasonable, professional and restrained, ministry spokesman Wu Qian said at a regular press briefing.

He added that China’s military will “continue to organise relevant military operations” around the Taiwan Strait on a regular basis as part of its training.

Analysts predict frequent drills in the run-up to Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te’s inauguration in May.

When asked about a potential meeting between newly appointed Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun and his US counterpart, Mr Wu said China “displays an open attitude to bilateral dialogues at all levels”, without confirming any meeting.

Earlier, China’s military said the mission was “public hyping” and that its forces had monitored and warned the ship.

“Recently, the US military has frequently carried out provocative acts to maliciously undermine regional peace and stability,” the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said the ship sailed in a southerly direction through the strait, adding that it monitored the movement and the situation was “normal”.

The US Navy’s last announced passage of a warship through the strait was in early November, joined that time by a Canadian frigate.

The latest transit came as Republican Representative Mario Diaz-Balart and Democratic Representative Ami Bera, leaders of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus, visit Taipei as a show of support after the island’s Jan 13 election.

They are the first group of US lawmakers to visit Taipei since Mr Lai of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party won the presidential election earlier in January.

Meeting the duo on Jan 25, Mr Lai, who will take office on May 20, said he hopes that the US can continue to firmly support Taiwan.

“I hope the US can continue to firmly support Taiwan, deepen bilateral cooperation and relations, and work with other democratic partners to ensure peace and prosperity in the region,” he said.

China, which regards the self-governing Taiwan as its territory to be reunified, has in recent years regularly carried out military drills around the island as it seeks to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei.

Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it detected 18 Chinese air force planes on Jan 17 operating around Taiwan and carrying out “joint combat readiness patrols” with Chinese warships, the first large-scale military activity after the Taiwanese election.

Separately, on the Philippines’ plans to reinforce construction in the contested Spratly Islands, Mr Wu accused Manila of “violating China’s sovereignty and making provocations in the South China Sea” while “in collusion with external powers”.

On the India-China border dispute, Mr Wu said border tensions were “an issue left over from history and not the whole of China-India relations”, and said it was “unwise and inappropriate” for New Delhi to link the issue to bilateral relations.

A senior Indian official said in January that India could ease its heightened scrutiny of Chinese investments if the two countries’ border remained peaceful, the first signal that the four-year-old curbs could be lifted.

China also denied that it has provided any weapons or equipment to the Middle East conflict, after reports that the Israeli military had found Hamas militants used Chinese-made weaponry in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS