U.S. Navy again sends warships through volatile Taiwan Strait

The U.S. Navy sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait today as it continues to emphasize its right to sail through international waters in East Asia and the South China Sea.

The San Diego-based destroyer USS Stockdale and replenishment vessel USNS Pecos “conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit … in accordance with international law,” Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Fleet headquartered at Pearl Harbor, said in a statement.

“The ships’ transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows,” Gorman said.