The USS Milius sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, according to the US Navy, classifying it as a “routine” transit yet occurring just days after China concluded its current war games surrounding the island.
China, which considers Taiwan to be its own territory, formally concluded three days of exercises around Taiwan on Monday, during which it simulated precision attacks and blockading the island.
It organized the drills in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
According to the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius carried out a “routine Taiwan Strait transit” through waters “where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law.”
The transit of the ship underlines the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, it added.
