Navy warship’s transit of Taiwan Strait a first under Biden administration

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In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain conducts routine underway operations in support of stability and security for a free and open Indo-Pacific, at the Taiwan Strait, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. China accused the U.S. of staging a show of force by sailing two Navy warships through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday morning. The Navy said the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain and USS Curtis Wilbur “conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit” in accordance with international law.(Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Markus Castaneda/U.S. Navy via AP)

For the first time in the presidency of Joe Biden, a U.S. Navy warship steamed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, according to the Japan-based U.S. 7th Fleet.

The guided-missile destroyer John S. McCain’s transit “demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” 7th Fleet said in a statement. “The United States military will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows.”

While Beijing casts a constant eye toward Taiwan and reuniting the island with the mainland, the U.S. Navy regularly sends ships through the strait to back up the international nature of such waters.

Known as freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPs, such trips also regularly take place in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

In late December, McCain and its fellow guided-missile destroyer Curtis Wilbur made a similar trip off Taiwan, which caused Chinese authorities to dub the FONOP a “show of force” and a provocation that “sent the wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence forces’ and seriously endangered peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait area,” the Associated Press reported on Dec. 31.

Last year also saw the Navy conduct FONOPs off Russia and Venezuela to back up similar contentions about accessibility of international waters.

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Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.