China Tracks Us Warship As It Crosses Taiwan Strait, Calls Transit ‘hyped’

IT DIDN’T MAKE ITS WAY INTO A LOT OF HEADLINES — BUT IT CERTAINLY MADE WAVES.

A U.S. WARSHIP JUST PASSED THROUGH ONE OF THE MOST SENSITIVE WATERWAYS IN THE WORLD…

AND THE RESPONSE? SWIFT, SILENT — AND TENSE.

THE USS WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE — AN ARLEIGH-BURKE CLASS GUIDED-MISSILE DESTROYER — SAILED THROUGH THE TAIWAN STRAIT ON APRIL 23RD. INDOPACOM–THE U.S. INDO-PACIFIC COMMAND– CALLED IT A ROUTINE OPERATION UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW.

CHINESE STATE MEDIA RELEASED THIS VIDEO — SHOWING ONE OF PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY NAVY SAILORS WATCHING THE U.S. DESTROYER FROM A DISTANCE.

BUT THIS TIME, UNLIKE PAST TRANSITS, NEITHER THE U.S. NAVY NOR TAIWAN’S DEFENSE MINISTRY ISSUED A FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT.

PRIVATE TRACKING DATA CONFIRMED THE SHIP’S ROUTE. THE VESSEL TURNED ON ITS IDENTIFICATION SIGNAL AT THE START… THEN SHUT IT OFF NEAR THE END — A COMMON MOVE IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, ACCORDING TO LOCAL REPORTS.

CHINA’S MILITARY RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY. THE PLAN SAYS IT DEPLOYED NAVAL AND AIR UNITS TO SHADOW THE U.S. SHIP — ACCUSING WASHINGTON OF EXAGGERATING THE EVENT, EVEN THOUGH THE U.S. MADE NO PUBLIC STATEMENT.

THE TAIWAN-BASED TRACKER “TAIWAN SECURITY MONITOR” IDENTIFIED THE SHIP USING OPEN-SOURCE MARITIME DATA. A U.S. NAVY DRONE WAS ALSO SPOTTED NEARBY, BUT OFFICIALS HAVEN’T PUBLICLY LINKED THE TWO.

BEIJING CLAIMS THE TAIWAN STRAIT AS ITS TERRITORY — BUT THE U.S. AND MOST OF THE WORLD TREAT IT AS INTERNATIONAL WATER.

THIS MARKS THE SECOND SUCH TRANSIT UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CURRENT TERM — PART OF WASHINGTON’S LONG-STANDING FREEDOM-OF-NAVIGATION POLICY.

BUT THE TIMING ADDS A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT TO THE OCCASION — BECAUSE IT FOLLOWS RECENT CHINESE MILITARY DRILLS AROUND TAIWAN AND COINCIDES WITH THE 76TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHINA’S NAVY.

TAIWAN’S DEFENSE MINISTRY SAYS IT TRACKED 19 CHINESE AIRCRAFT AND SEVEN NAVAL VESSELS NEAR ITS TERRITORY WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE TRANSIT.

WE CAN EXPECT THESE TRANSITS TO CONTINUE. THE U.S. MADE CLEAR IT WON’T BACK DOWN FROM ASSERTING NAVIGATIONAL RIGHTS — WHILE CHINA SEES THEM AS PROVOCATIONS.