China has lodged complaints with Canada through military and diplomatic channels after a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese Defense Ministry said Friday.
The act “caused unrest and provoked trouble,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We warn Canada to respect the one-China principle and be cautious in its words and actions on the Taiwan issue,” ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said.
The frigate passed through the Taiwan Strait in what Ottawa called a commitment to an open Indo-Pacific, prompting a rebuke from China, which said the July 31 naval exercise undermined peace.
Canada’s Department of National Defence said HMCS Montreal had “recently conducted a routine transit” through the strait in what Defence Minister Bill Blair said was a reaffirmation of Canada’s commitment to a “free, open and inclusive” Indo-Pacific.
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“As outlined in our Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canada is increasing the Royal Canadian Navy’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region,” Blair said, referring to Canada’s plan for the region announced in 2022.
Li Xi, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, said the Canadian frigate’s passage had “harassed and disturbed the situation and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Chinese troops, he added, were on high alert at all times and were “ready to respond to all threats and provocations.”
China claims sovereignty over democratically ruled Taiwan and says it has jurisdiction over the nearly 180-kilometer-wide waterway that divides the two sides.
