China Slams US Guided-Missile Destroyer Sailing Through Taiwan Strait

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit July 19 (local time) through international waters in accordance with international law

By Donald Standeford, SJ Founder/Publisher
July 20, 2022 09:50 am UTC
Modified: July 20, 2022 09:50 am

TAIWAN STRAIT - A US guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold sailed through the Taiwan Strait on July 19th, 2022 with the Chinese military following and monitoring its transit; after which China claims the United States 'hyped' the transit up publicly and slammed the US as a 'maker of security risks'.

The Chinese Shandong aircraft carrier was spotted sailing through the Taiwan Strait on the same day.

The U.S. 7th Fleet put out a statement over Twitter regarding the transit over Twitter saying, "The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit July 19 (local time) through international waters in accordance with international law".

A statement on the official 7th Fleet website said, "The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit July 19 (local time) through international waters in accordance with international law. The ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State. The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows".

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) had sent its navy and air force to 'conduct security tracking and monitoring of the US warship in the whole course', according to a statement put out by Shi Yi, who is a Colonel in the Chinese military.

The English news site for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) China Military claimed that the "frequent provocations and power shows made by the US side have fully proven that the US is the disrupter of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the maker of security risk in the region."

The statement went on to say, "Troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command are on high alert at all times to resolutely safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity."