Vessel attached to a frigate flotilla with the navy under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command maneuvers to the designated area during a maritime training exercise on July 21, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Ren Wei)

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) tracked and monitored US and Canadian warships when they made a transit through the Taiwan Straits on Sunday. 

Experts said on Monday that the US and Canadian warships' voyage, coming shortly after Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's secessionist Double Ten speech on October 10, sent a wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatists, ramped up tensions and sabotaged peace and stability in the region.

US destroyer the USS Higgins and Canadian frigate the HMCS Vancouver made a transit in the Taiwan Straits on Sunday and publicly hyped the event, said Senior Captain Li Xi, a spokesperson at the PLA Eastern Theater Command, in a statement on Monday.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to track and monitor the US and Canadian warships' transit in the whole course, and handled the situation in accordance with the law and regulations, Li said, noting that the move by the US and Canada has disturbed situation and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.

The troops of the theater maintain a high level of vigilance at all times to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, as well as peace and stability in the region, Li said.

Li's remarks came after the US Navy's 7th Fleet propagated the US and Canadian warships' Taiwan Straits transit in a statement on Sunday, claiming the move a "routine" transit through waters where "high-seas freedom of navigation and overflight apply."

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stressed at a regular press conference on Monday that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. He said the Taiwan question is not about freedom of navigation but about China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

We firmly oppose any act of provocation under the pretext of freedom of navigation that threatens China's sovereignty and security, Lin said.

Obvious intentions

Closely following Lai's Double Ten speech, the intention of the US and Canadian warships' Taiwan Straits transit clearly is to lend support to "Taiwan independence" separatists, stir up trouble, ramp up tensions in the Taiwan Straits, so as to achieve the US' goal of containing China, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Monday.

Fu noted that the PLA Eastern Theater Command deployed its naval and air forces to conduct tracking and monitoring operations. This means that the PLA likely deployed military aircraft and naval vessels to monitor and escort the foreign warships, he said.

The PLA's measures are reasonable and legitimate, while also serving as a warning to these external provokers, Fu said.

Zhang Junshe, another Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Monday that the US has been rallying countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand to conduct transits in the Taiwan Straits and hype such events in attempts to show that its so-called Indo-Pacific strategy has gained support of many countries.

Zhang also referred to another event, when a group of warships from Australia, New Zealand and Japan made a transit through the Taiwan Straits on September 25. The PLA tracked and monitored the ships throughout their transit, keeping the situation under control, a source told the Global Times at the time.

These are blatant practices of bloc confrontation, attempting to apply greater pressure and deterrence against China, Zhang said.

As for Canada, Zhang said that while it does not have strong military strength, nor do its warships have large displacements, it has been frequently making provocations against China.

A Canadian warship, the frigate HMCS Montreal, was also tracked and monitored by the PLA Eastern Theater Command when transiting the Taiwan Straits on July 31, according to the PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesperson.

Canada has been following the US politically, diplomatically and militarily, and its moves are aimed at showing loyalty to the US and its support to the US' "Indo-Pacific" strategy, while also attempting to show off presence and influence with US' help, Zhang said.

Chinese experts called such moves of US and its allies political stunts. "No matter what moves foreign militaries take - in the air or at sea - the PLA will always grasp the situation and take corresponding measures," Fu said.