Overview

• The USS Higgins and HMS Richmond sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sept. 12 in what Washington and London described as a routine passage exercising navigational rights.
• China’s Eastern Theatre Command said it deployed naval and air forces to track the ships and issued warnings, labeling the transit provocative.
• Britain’s Defence Ministry and the U.S. Navy said the ships operated in accordance with international law in a corridor beyond any state’s territorial sea.
• China’s navy reported that the aircraft carrier Fujian, still in sea trials, also passed through the strait earlier the same day.
• No incidents were reported, as allied transits continue on a periodic basis and follow recent passages by Canadian and Australian warships that drew similar Chinese objections.