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On 6 March 2016, the USS Antietam guided missile cruiser of the Ticonderoga class sails in the South China Sea.
Photo:
MC2 Marcus Stanley / Associated Press
Two US warships crossed the Taiwan Strait on Monday, a welcome sign of support for American friends in Taiwan and the right to open navigation in international waters.
USS Curtis Wilbur, a guided missile destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class, and USS Antietam, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, completed Monday's 16-hour transit, the US fleet announced. The trip "reflects the commitment of the United States to a free and open Indo-Pacific," said Cmdr. Nate Christensen, deputy spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet. "The US Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits."
The Chinese government had not yet reacted to the visit at the time of publication Monday, but you can bet that his Ministry of Defense was not satisfied. Beijing wants to turn the Western Pacific into a lake dominated by China where it can dictate the rights of navigation. It regards the Taiwan Strait between the mainland and Taiwan with particular concern, because China claims that island democracy is part of its territory.
The United States is the only nation to have the naval firepower to deter China's ambitions. The warship's voyage also reassures the Taiwanese government, which China is increasingly trying to isolate in world forums by using its pledges of investment to bring the last friends of Taiwan to overthrow the island.
The attack ship appears to be part of the larger efforts by the Trump administration to combat China's military aggression. This includes more frequent trips beyond the atolls on which China has built runways and other assets to project electricity into the South China Sea. Like Russia and Iran, China took the Obama years to expand its influence and try to become a dominant regional power. The Trump Administration shows that the days of this free ride may be over.
Published in the print edition of October 23, 2018.
