China says it is “ready to defeat any provocation” as two US Navy warships sail through international waters in the Taiwan Strait.

It comes just weeks after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the region – the highest-ranking elected US official to visit in more than 25 years.

Her visit , angered China, which saw it as a US attempt to interfere in its internal affairs.

The narrow strait has been a source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists.

Mrs Pelosi‘s visit angered China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be annexed by force if necessary.

Confirming the operation, the US Navy said the cruisers Chancellorsville and Antietam had “transited through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state”.

It normally takes eight to 12 hour to cross the 100 mile-wide (160km-wide) Taiwan strait, which divides Taiwan from China.

Clash of the superpowers – could China and the US go to war?

China announces new military drills as more US politicians visit Taiwan

What does China want from Taiwan?

Read more:
Could China and the US go to war?

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The operation demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and the US military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows, the navy added.

Nations including the UK and Canada have been among the other nations to send ships through the Taiwan Strait in recent years.

China’s military said it was monitoring the US naval movements, ready to “thwart any provocation”.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the two US ships were sailing in a southerly direction and that its forces were observing, but that “the situation was as normal”.

Following Pelosi’s visit in early August, five other US lawmakers visited Taiwan. China’s military responding by carrying out more exercises near the island. They have also sent warplanes and firing long-range missiles. Three more US dignitaries have visited this month.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has sought to keep tension between Washington and Beijing from boiling over into conflict, reiterating that congressional trips are routine.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself..

Taiwan is home to 23 million people, and has never been ruled by China. Regardless, China views the island as part of its national territory.

Related posts:

Jury in Derek Chauvin trial out to consider verdict – this is what happens next Former US vice president Walter Mondale dies aged 93 Cheers and tears as jury finds Derek Chauvin guilty of murder Even the way Chauvin was handcuffed and led away proved the inequality Ghislaine Maxwell denies sex trafficking charge in first appearance before judge Just one house left unscathed on land scorched by California’s largest single forest fire Popular online word game Wordle bought by The New York Times ‘Take this guy out’: US senator calls on Russians to assassinate Putin Man, 60, accused of cutting up dead girlfriend with a chainsaw ‘We could hear him murdering my child’: Families push for law change as CCTV shows school massacre unfolding ‘It spat me out, I’m not a seal’: Man who survived shark attack in the US describes what happened US basketball star’s lawyers tell Russian court she was prescribed medical cannabis