US Navy confirms 'routine' Taiwan Strait transit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy confirmed on Tuesday two of its ships carried out a Taiwan Strait transit, calling it routine despite an angry reaction from Beijing.

The Navy said the vessels were the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch. The ships carried out a north-to-south transit February 10-12, it said.

"The transit occurred through a corridor in the Taiwan Strait that is beyond any coastal state's territorial seas," said Navy Commander Matthew Comer, a spokesperson at the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command.

"Within this corridor all nations enjoy high-seas freedom of navigation, overflight, and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to these freedoms."

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Tom Hogue)

---

Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

---

You May Also Be Interested In

• China's Communist Party to hold conclave on internal governance in October
• China's top leaders pledge incremental measures to support economy
• South Korea curbs may not save investors slaughtered by $2 trillion rout