TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The U.S. Navy confirmed on Wednesday (Feb. 12) that two of its vessels sailed through the Taiwan Strait this week, labeling the passage as a routine operation.
According to Reuters, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch traversed the strait from north to south between Monday and Wednesday.
U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command Spokesperson Matthew Comer clarified that the transit through the Taiwan Strait's navigable waters does not fall within any coastal nation's territorial seas. Comer emphasized, "Within this corridor, all nations enjoy high-seas freedom of navigation, overflight, and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to these freedoms."
Reuters reported that this marks the first such transit by U.S. Navy ships since President Trump took office in January. The passage underscores the U.S. commitment to maintaining a presence in the region and ensuring freedom of navigation in international waters.
