CHINA-US: US NAVY SHIPS TRANSIT TAIWAN STRATIS PROVOKING CHINESE PROTEST
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Two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers USS John S. McCain and USS Curtis Wilbur sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on December 31 provoking a protest from Beijing. This is the 13th sailing through the strait by the U.S. Navy this year. Asserting that "The Chinese People's Liberation Army maintains a high level of alert at all times, responds to all threats and provocations at all times, and resolutely defends national sovereignty and territorial integrity," China's Defence Ministry denounced the trip as "provocation" and "a show of force". It added that Chinese ships and aircraft trailed the U.S. ships and said the passage of the ships sent the wrong message to supporters of Taiwan independence and are a serious threat to peace and stability.
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