Canadian Navy Ships Sailed Through Taiwan Strait Amid Tension With China

Crew members of Her Majestys Canadian Ship (HMCS) Vancouver make preparations shortly after the ship's arrival in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on May 3, 2018. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

BEIJING/OTTAWA–China’s Defense Ministry said on June 27 that Canadian navy ships sailed through the Strait of Taiwan, which separates self-ruled Taiwan from China, an act that could inflame already tense bilateral relations.

Such passages upset China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory. In April, Beijing condemned a French decision to send a frigate through the Strait as illegal.