U.S. destroyer’s passage through Taiwan Strait ‘provocative’: Chinese military – National

The U.S. destroyer Ralph Johnson’s sail-through of the Taiwan Strait on March 17 was a “provocative” act by the US and despatched the flawed indicators to pro-Taiwan independence forces, the Chinese language navy stated on Saturday.

Such an act was “very harmful”, a Chinese language navy spokesperson stated in a press release, including that troops had been organised to watch the Ralph Johnson’s passage.

China says Taiwan is probably the most delicate and essential subject in its relations with the US. Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, however is Taiwan’s most essential worldwide backer and arms provider.

Chinese language President Xi Jinping instructed his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Friday that the Taiwan subject must be dealt with correctly to keep away from a damaging affect on Sino-U.S. relations.

-Reporting by Ryan Woo; Modifying by Mark Heinrich