TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated on Wednesday (Aug. 19) that a U.S. Navy ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait.

In a press release, the MND confirmed that a U.S. Navy ship had navigated through the Taiwan Strait from north to south.

Additionally, the U.S. Pacific Fleet posted on its official Facebook page on Tuesday saying that the U.S. 7th Fleet Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) sailed through the Taiwan Strait. It also pointed out that the vessel’s mission was to support the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

A 7th Fleet press release stated that the USS Mustin and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Akizuki-class destroyer JS Suzutsuki (DD 117) held a comprehensive exercise in the East China Sea on Saturday as part of their “shared commitments to regional stability through cooperation.”

It was rumored on Tuesday that the USS Mustin had passed through the Taiwan Strait. However, at that time the MND did not make any comment, only emphasizing that the military has a full grasp of the dynamics of the nation’s sea and airspace around the Taiwan Strait.

U.S. Navy ships have increasingly traversed through the Taiwan Strait as Chinese regional aggression has ramped up.

U.S. Pacific Fleet's Facebook post