Published Sep 13, 2025 at 3:12 PM China said it deployed naval and air force on Friday to monitor a pair of U.S. and British warships sailing through the Taiwan Strait, a busy shipping lane it claims as its own.
The American ship USS Higgins and British vessel HMS Richmond “provoked trouble” in its coastal waters, a Chinese military spokesperson said.
The U.S. Navy‘s 7th Fleet, based in Japan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment after hours. Britain’s Defense Ministry told Reuters that the operation to assert navigational rights was done “in full compliance with international law and norms.”
China‘s Defense Ministry could not be reached for comment after hours.
Why It Matters
The Taiwan Strait separates China from democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own despite Taipei’s objections. The waterway—just 80 miles wide at its narrowest point—has for decades kept the longtime foes at arm’s length of one another, but the United States fears China could soon use its overwhelming military advantage to make good on its longstanding territorial ambitions.
The U.S. and other Western navies have periodically sent warships to the strait in shows of force to preserve the status quo, and to openly reject the Chinese government’s recent assertions that foreign military vessels should not be allowed to operate in the waters without its permission.
Last week, Beijing issued a similar warning to Canada and Australia after the allies similarly sailed warships to the area.
What To Know
Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, said the U.S. and British governments “send wrong signals and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Shi said Chinese forces were mobilized to monitor the ships throughout their passage, according to a brief statement released online.
The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Higgins and Canadian navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa conduct maneuvers in international waters in the South China Sea on January, 11 2025. Sailor 3rd Class Jacob Saunders/Canadian Armed Forces
Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Higgins and Type 23 frigate Richmond both were pictured earlier this week sailing alongside the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, the British navy flagship, in rare maneuvers in the Western Pacific.
The Prince of Wales is on the homeward leg of a months-long deployment to the Indo-Pacific region that began in April. It did not sail through the Taiwan Strait despite previous discussions about what would have been a largely symbolic move.
A spokesperson for the British Defense Ministry told Reuters that the Richmond‘s transit through the strait was “a routine passage” as part of the carrier strike group’s movements.
On Thursday, a satellite photo captured China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the yet-to-be-commissioned Fujian, operating in the same waters.
The Higgins is home-ported in Yokosuka, Japan, and is a member of Destroyer Squadron 15 of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Last month, Beijing claimed it had expelled the ship from near Chinese-controlled territory in the contested South China Sea.
What People Are Saying
Ely Ratner, former assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs in the Biden administration, now a principal at the Marathon Initiate think tank, said on X: “Terrific to see U.S. and U.K. combined Taiwan Strait transit, also on the heels of Australia and Canada transit.”
“Critical to keep demonstrating that countries in and outside of the Indo-Pacific are committed to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
What Happens Next
The Trump administration has dialed down the frequency of its public challenges to China’s maritime claims in a bid to stabilize relations, but a quiet U.S. and allied military presence off Chinese shores is likely to continue.