Posted on 07/07/2018 5:54:42 PM PDT by cba123
Two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers sailed through the Taiwan Strait separating mainland China from the island of Taiwan, a message likely to stoke more tensions between Washington and Beijing amid an ongoing trade war.
The American destroyers Mustin and Benfold, both based in Japan, transited the strait from south to northeast beginning at roughly 9 pm ET Friday night and will conclude mid-afternoon Saturday around 5 p.m. ET, according to three U.S. defense officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media. The development was first reported by Taiwan News.
(please see link, for full article)
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
"It was the first time since July 2017 that a U.S. warship transited the strait. USS Mustin is part of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group, which has been patrolling the South China Sea in recent weeks."
Two ships.
Seems like a carefully gauged, mild escalation.
Maybe.
Are these not international waters?
marvelous
You beat me.
Kaohsiung, Taiwan was a frequent port of call for the US Navy while I was in. My buddy and I took a hydrofoil ferry to the communist side. Wasn’t any noticeable difference at that time. We were amazed to see a Black Angus Steakhouse among other capitalist businesses.
International waters? Not according to China.
“Not according to China.”
Which begs the question; If you can’t defend it, is it really yours?
If the US Navy uses it to dump their sewage, is it really yours?
39 years ago, I was on the USS Chicago, probably two days out from landing in Taiwan. Jimmy Carter then announced the closing of the Taiwan embassy and riots broke out in Taiwan. We never anchored, and Im pretty sure no US Navy ships have either since.
were there any container ships nearby?
This is good news!
Considering the trade impasse, the timing of the Freedom of Navigation exercise makes Generalissimo Xi look really weak. He’s already made himself “Dictator for Life” so I’m not sure what else he can do to persuade his inner circle that he’s the Man with the Plan.
Incredible that they didn’t hit anything, isn’t it?
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