{"id":36419,"date":"2020-06-05T17:51:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T17:51:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/06\/05\/us-warship-steams-through-taiwan-strait\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:33:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:33:03","slug":"us-warship-steams-through-taiwan-strait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/06\/05\/us-warship-steams-through-taiwan-strait\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. warship steams through Taiwan Strait"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The guided-missile destroyer Russell<\/a> transited the Taiwan Strait this week, U.S. Navy officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russell conducted the transit on Thursday and Friday \u201cin accordance with international law,\u201d U.S. Pacific Fleet spokeswoman Lt. j.g. Rachel Maul said in an email. \u201cThe ship\u2019s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the second trip through the strait for a Navy warship in the past three weeks, as the McCampbell made the same trek on May 13, USNI News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Beijing claiming Taiwan as its own, and the United States continuing to assist the island without officially recognizing it as independent, such trips regularly irk the Chinese government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a similar U.S. Navy transit in January, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang warned that the United States should handle Taiwan-related issues \u201ccautiously and properly so as to avoid damaging China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,\u201d the Associated Press<\/a> quoted Geng as saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\t