The narrow strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war against the Communists, who established the People’s Republic of China.
In recent years, warships from the United States, and occasionally those from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have navigated the strait, incurring the ire of Beijing.
On Monday, China’s Foreign Minister said the country “has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait”.
In Taipei, the spokeswoman for Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joanne Ou, said such comments were “misleading”.
“The Taiwan Strait is part of international waters, and waters outside our territorial waters are subject to the ‘freedom of the high seas’ principle of international law,” she told reporters.
Taiwan has always respected the actions of foreign vessels in the Taiwan Strait that are consistent with international law, including innocent passage, Ou added.
“We understand and support the contribution of US freedom of navigation missions to the promotion of regional peace and stability.”
Taiwan’s government says China has no right to speak on its behalf or claim sovereignty, saying only the people of Taiwan can decide their own future and the People’s Republic of China has never controlled no part of the island.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and considers the island an inherent part of Chinese territory.