China slams US, Canadian warships' Taiwan Strait transit; claims it disrupted peace, stability

China claimed that the actions of the warships of the United States and Canada disrupted the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, condemning the move by the two countries to hold massive war games around Taiwan recently.

The destroyer USS Higgins and the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver had made a routine transit of the Taiwan Strait, US Navy's 7th Fleet had said in a statement, adding that this was meant to uphold the principle of freedom of navigation for all countries.

The ships navigated through waters where high-seas freedom of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law, the statement further said.

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Last month, Germany too had sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait in a bid to increase its defense engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army remains on high alert at all times, and resolutely safeguards national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability, Xinhua news agency quoted a military spokesperson as saying.

Naval and air forces organised by the Eastern Theater Command closely followed and monitored the passage of the warships through the Taiwan Strait during the entire process, the spokesperson added. 

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Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian condemned the "provocation" saying the Taiwan issue is not about freedom of navigation but concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and added that China firmly opposes any country provoking or threatening China's sovereignty and security in the name of freedom of navigation.

The US is Taiwan's biggest ally unofficially and is bound by its own laws to provide the island with the means to defend itself.