China on Friday firmly opposed any attempt to undermine its sovereignty and security “under the pretext of freedom of navigation,” after a Canadian warship made a solo transit through the Taiwan Strait last week.
HMCS Charlottetown conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on May 22, which was completed on May 23, Canadian Department of National Defence told reporters on Friday.
It completed the passage without being accompanied by any allied vessel, an unusual move that drew immediate attention from Beijing and reignited the long-running dispute over one of Asia’s most strategically sensitive waterways.
Beijing Pushes Back
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing respects all countries’ navigation rights under international law but drew a firm line against what it sees as provocative transits near Taiwan.
China claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan and the strategic Taiwan Strait, despite Taipei’s consistent rejection of those claims.
The statement reflects Beijing’s longstanding position that such transits, particularly by Western military vessels, are deliberate acts of political signalling rather than routine navigation.
Taiwan Stands Its Ground
Taiwan’s defence ministry offered a measured but resolute response, telling reporters that the Taiwan Strait is “an international waterway, and all countries enjoy the right of freedom of navigation.”
The ministry added that it closely monitors developments through joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mechanisms, but does not proactively disclose the movements of allied military vessels, signalling quiet coordination without inviting public escalation.
A Waterway At The Centre Of Global Tensions
The HMCS Charlottetown’s transit comes amid growing Western efforts to assert navigational freedoms in the Indo-Pacific.
The Taiwan Strait, a narrow but strategically vital passage between China and Taiwan, has become a flashpoint for competing claims over international law and regional influence.
The move by Canadian Department of National Defence, even though a routine transit as they claim, has left the diplomatic temperature to simmer as global attention draw back to one of Asia’s most contested corridors.
(with input from Reuters)
