What will US-Canada warships transit slammed by China mean for peace in the Taiwan Strait?

First ever joint transit by US and Canadian navies seen as a ‘breakthrough’ in Biden administration’s strategy for a united front against Beijing

Move comes amid intensifying PLA sorties into Taiwan’s air defence zone, sparking worries about both regional stability and Canada’s ties with China

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The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey sailed through the Taiwan Strait along with a Canadian frigate. Photo: Handout via Reuters

Kristin HuangandRachel Zhang

Published: 7:00pm, 18 Oct 2021Updated: 12:02am, 19 Oct 2021

US President Joe Biden’s coordinated approach with allies to counter China has seen America and Canada send warships through the Taiwan Strait for the first time, in a joint mission described by an analyst as a “breakthrough” for Washington.

The move by the US and Canadian navies has prompted concerns about a possible clash in the geopolitically sensitive waterway, with the Chinese military condemning the transit as “seriously jeopardising peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait”.

The operation could also dampen hopes of improved relations between China and Canada following the recent release of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou after nearly three years under house arrest.

01:22

‘The toughest situation I have seen in more than 40 years,’ says Taiwan’s defence minister

Questioned on last week’s joint transit, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Canada should pay greater attention to its own interests and relations with China, and not be an accomplice to others.

“This [operation] is not a commitment to freedom and openness, but a deliberate interference with and destruction of regional peace and stability, which is seen clearly by the international community,” Zhao told reporters on Monday.

The US regularly conducts what it calls “freedom of navigation patrols” in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.

01:37

China’s PLA conducts air force drills after US warships sail in contested South China Sea

The US military said its Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey along with the Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg sailed through the narrow waterway separating the island of Taiwan from the Chinese mainland on Thursday and Friday.