China's military says it tracked Dutch frigate in Taiwan Strait

June 5, 2026 10:04 AM EDT

BEIJING, June ‌5 (Reuters) - China's ​military ​said on Friday it had dispatched naval and air assets ‌to track and monitor the Dutch ⁠frigate De Ruyter transiting the Taiwan Strait.

The ‌Netherlands said the warship ‌was sailing through the region for diplomatic, security and economic reasons and ​was operating in accordance with international law.

Beijing last week said ⁠the same frigate illegally intruded into the Paracel Islands ​archipelago in the disputed South China Sea, to which the Dutch ​government gave the same ‌response.

The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command (ETC) said in a ⁠statement that "forces of the PLA ETC will stay on high alert at ⁠all times and resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and ​security, as well as regional peace and stability".

In addition to claiming sovereignty over democratically governed ‌Taiwan, Beijing views the narrow, highly strategic strait as Chinese ‌territorial waters.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; ⁠Additional reporting by ‌Stephanie van den ​Berg in The Hague; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Kevin ‌Liffey)



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