The United States Navy conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on Jan. 22, just three days before Taiwan’s Vice President Lai Ching-te (???) left for Honduras via the U.S. on Jan. 25.
Lieutenant Nicholas Lingo, spokesperson for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, said Tuesday the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) had conducted the routine Taiwan Strait transit through international waters in accordance with international law.
“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows,” Lingo said.
Furthermore, the U.S. Navy transited through the Taiwan Strait 12 times in 2021, Lingo told CNA.
The U.S. military has repeatedly emphasized that the passage of U.S. warships through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and whether it is sailing, flying, or performing missions, it conforms to the norms of international law.
Lai departed for Honduras to attend the inauguration of President Xiomara Castro via Los Angeles on Jan. 25, three days after the DDG 105 conducted a transit through the Taiwan Strait.
After completing his visit in Honduras, the first overseas trip he has taken since assuming office in May 2020, Lai touched down at the airport in San Francisco at around 3:20 p.m. Friday.
Lai and his delegation then left San Francisco to head back to Taiwan on Saturday afternoon.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel