Canadian Warship Crosses Taiwan Strait, Challenges China’s Ownership Claims

Family members and friends wait to welcome home the crew aboard the HMCS Ottawa following its four month deployment to the Asia-Pacific region as it returns to CFB Esquimalt in Victoria, B.C., on Dec. 18, 2019. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

A Canadian warship has navigated the contested Taiwan Strait as part of a joint exercise with allied naval forces, an action that showcases Ottawa’s position in maintaining the international status of the waterway in response to China’s territorial assertions.

The Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate, HMCS Ottawa, transited the waterway alongside the USS Ralph Johnson, a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer, in what both parties have characterized as a freedom-of-navigation exercise, as reported by CBC News.

During their 17-hour crossing on Sept. 6, the ships were closely shadowed by Chinese warships.

“Moving through the Taiwan Strait is to demonstrate a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Sam Patchell, the commanding officer of the Canadian warship, told CBC News. “The only way we can do that is to come here and signal it.”

The HMCS Ottawa passed through the strait following joint exercises with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard forces and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force in August. Additional Canadian frigates that took part in the joint exercise, dubbed Noble Chinook, included HMCS Vancouver and MV Asterix, according to a statement released by the U.S. Navy.

Contention

The Taiwan Strait is a narrow body of water that separates mainland China from the island of Taiwan. China’s assertiveness in the region, coupled with its unilateral territorial claims over Taiwan, a self-governed democracy, has increasingly drawn international attention.

Nations in the surrounding area are also closely monitoring this situation due to their significant reliance on the waterway for trade. An estimated $4.6 trillion in cargo, a third of all global trade, passes through the Taiwan Strait each year, according to CBC.

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In addition to the Taiwan Strait, Beijing has also asserted territorial claims over the South China Sea, where the Canadian warship is currently navigating.

The Chinese embassy in Canada issued a statement in July condemning Canada for conducting military exercises with the United States in the South China Sea and sailing military vessels through the Taiwan Strait. However, China has not yet issued an official response to the latest passage of the Taiwan Strait by the Canadian and American navies.

Before this most recent crossing, the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Montreal had participated in a joint military exercise in the East China Sea alongside the United States, Japan, and Australia. This exercise concluded on June 5.