U.S. Destroyer Transits Taiwan Strait, China Tracks and Warns Ship

A U.S. Navy destroyer transited the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday in what may be interpreted as a show of force by President Donald Trump, as geopolitical and trade tensions continue to rise between Washington and Beijing.

According to the Eastern Theatre Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the vessel was identified as the USS William P. Lawrence, a guided-missile destroyer. The PLA dismissed the ship's passage as “public hyping” and posted a video on its official social media showing a Chinese Navy sailor observing the American warship.

The PLA also stated that it had deployed both naval and aerial units to monitor and issue warnings to the U.S. ship as it crossed through the strait. The U.S. has yet to publicly comment on the incident.

The transit follows China’s recent military drills in the region, which included war games around Taiwan and simulated a full-scale blockade of the island.

This is the second time the U.S. Navy has sent a warship through the narrow strait since Trump returned to office in January—the first occurring in February. While the U.S. Navy conducts such transits roughly ten times annually, Beijing consistently views them as provocative acts. This latest move comes at a moment of heightened strain between the two countries, perhaps the most severe since the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1971.

China regards Taiwan as a province of China and considers the Taiwan Strait an internal waterway. Although the U.S. formally recognizes the “One China” policy and recognizes Taiwan as being part of China, it maintains the crossings are conducted to uphold “freedom of navigation” in international waters.