Mallory Shelbourne – February 12, 2025 12:54 PM
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) conducts routine underway operations. U.S. Navy Photo
Two U.S. Navy ships sailed through the Taiwan Strait this week as China’s People Liberation Army shadowed the first warship passage in the waters under the new Trump administration.
USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114), one of the Navy’s forward-deployed destroyers based in Yokosuka, Japan, performed the strait transit with survey ship USNS Bowditch (T-AGS-62), according to a statement from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The two ships sailed south through the strait over the course of Feb. 10 through 12.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy and PLA Air Force tracked the transit, according to a spokesman.
“The US’s actions sent the wrong signals and increased security risks. The troops of the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command remain on high alert at all times to resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability,” PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesman senior Capt. Li Xi said in a statement.
U.S. ships routinely conduct Taiwan Strait transits that China monitors.
The last publicly announced Taiwan Strait transit took place in October, when USS Higgins (DDG-76) and Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH-331) sailed through the waters, USNI News reported at the time.
Chinese Navy Tracks First U.S. Taiwan Strait Transit under Trump Administration – USNI News
Source: currinsnavalandmaritme