PLA tracks US Navy ships in first Taiwan Strait transit since Trump’s return

Beijing accuses Indo-Pacific Command of ‘sending wrong signals and increasing security risks’

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A file photo of the USS Ralph Johnson, which crossed the Taiwan Strait between Monday and Wednesday. Photo: U.S. Navy

Published: 10:19am, 12 Feb 2025Updated: 11:17pm, 12 Feb 2025

Two American naval vessels were spotted sailing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday, according to the People’s Liberation Army, which also said that it was tracking the crossing.

The PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command “organised sea and air forces to follow and monitor the entire movement of the US vessels, and handled them effectively”, according to spokesman Li Xi.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, Li accused the US deployment of sending “wrong signals and increasing security risks”.

The transit was the first by the US Navy since Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January. In a departure from its usual practice, the passage was not flagged by the Indo-Pacific Command on its website.

According to Reuters, the navy confirmed on Tuesday that two ships – an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer the USS Ralph Johnson and the USNS Bowditch, a survey ship – had crossed the strait between Monday and Wednesday.

The Indo-Pacific Command told Reuters that the operation was routine. It did not respond immediately to an inquiry from the South China Morning Post.

The Taiwanese defence ministry said on Wednesday that the two US naval vessels “sailed through the Taiwan Strait from north to south starting on February 10”, adding that it had “maintained full control over the surrounding sea and airspace”.