2 US Navy Ships Sail Through Taiwan Strait, 1st Transit Since Trump Inauguration

Observers say the actions serve to deter the Chinese regime’s aggression toward Taiwan and maintain freedom of navigation in the strait.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) conducts routine underway operations in the Taiwan Strait, on Sept. 9, 2023. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jamaal Liddell/U.S. Navy via AP

Two U.S. navy ships sailed through the Taiwan Strait this week for the first time since President Donald Trump took office in January. Observers have said that it shows the continuity of U.S. policy in the Taiwan Strait.

The U.S. Navy said that Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship USNS Bowditch sailed through the Taiwan Strait from north to south from Feb. 10 to Feb. 12.