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U.S. warship transit a signal to China not to move on Taiwan: experts

ROC Central News Agency

02/26/2022 10:20 PM

Taipei, Feb. 26 (CNA) The transit of a United States naval vessel through the Taiwan Strait Saturday was meant as a warning to China not to make any rash moves on Taiwan in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine this week, defense experts told CNA Saturday.

Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor at National Sun Yat-sen University who is also a defense expert, said the transit was intended to send a signal to Beijing that Washington remains focused on the Indo-Pacific despite events unfolding in eastern Europe.

His comments came after the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) sailed through the Taiwan Strait Saturday on what the U.S. Pacific Command called "routine" transit to demonstrate the nation's "commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."

The U.S. destroyer had its automatic identification system (AIS) turned on, which is a clear indication that it wanted everyone in the region to be aware of its movement through the Taiwan Strait, Lin explained.

This view was echoed by Chieh Chung (揭仲), an associate research fellow with the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, who told CNA the U.S. has so far conducted 14 such transits through the Taiwan Strait under President Joe Biden.

However, the one on Saturday was of particular significance to the Indo-Pacific region, following Washington's decision not to get involved militarily in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Chieh said.

It was to assuage the concerns of its Indo-Pacific partners and to encourage them to retain their confidence in the U.S., he added.

According to the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Chinese think tank, an American EP-3E electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft was also spotted south of Taiwan on the same day as the U.S. naval transit.

Although this is not a rare occurrence, Chieh said it is an indirect signal to Beijing not to take advantage of the current geopolitical situation to take military action in the Indo-Pacific region.

(By Matt Yu and Ko Lin)

Enditem/AW