[The Epoch Times, April 27, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Xia Yu comprehensive report) The U.S. Navy stated that,Sampsonmissiledestroyer(USS Sampson, DDG-102) Tuesday (April 26) crossing under international lawTaiwan Strait. On Wednesday, Beijing time, the CCP issued a statement expressing its dissatisfaction.
According to a statement from the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet,SampsonpassTaiwan StraitIt is a routine action and is carried out in accordance with international law.
“The ship’s passage through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the statement said. “U.S. forces fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.”
Soldiers aboard the USS Sampson participated in the Seventh Fleet VBSS (Visit Board Search and Seizure) training last week, according to the U.S. Maritime Service. VBSS is a training mode commonly used by the Navy and Marine Corps. It is mainly a drill to search for unknown ships after intercepting them on the sea, so as to train soldiers’ combat capabilities.
Sampson is 21stdestroyerA member of the squadron, currently serving with the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Strike Group. The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Philippine Sea.
Seventh Fleet said the crossing was a routine operation.
On Wednesday, Beijing time, the Chinese military said it resolutely opposed the US warship’s jumping across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the U.S. warship sailed northward through the Taiwan Strait and the channel conditions were “normal.”
U.S. warships will occasionally make a voyage across the Taiwan Strait, and the CCP has jumped against it almost every time. USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114)guided missile destroyerPassed through the Taiwan Strait on February 28, which the CCP sees as a guarantee of U.S. security for Taiwan, as the crossing was conducted in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Responsible editor: Ye Ziwei#