TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, tailed by a Lockheed EP-3 electronic signals reconnaissance plane, through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday (Feb. 26), which Taiwanese experts have interpreted as a warning meant to deter China from moving on Taiwan after Russia's invasion of Ukraine days earlier.

According to policy experts Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑) and Chieh Chung (揭仲), Washington wants to reassure its allies of its presence in the Indo-Pacific and remind China it is still focused on the region even though a war rages in eastern Europe, per a CNA report.

The Ministry of National Defense confirmed reports that the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), had transited the Strait and said Taiwan’s military had closely monitored the process throughout, reporting the situation as normal.

Lin, who is assistant professor at National Sun Yat-sen University, said the American destroyer had activated its automatic identification system (AIS) while passing through, indicating Washington wanted the wider world to know of its presence there.

Chieh, an associate research fellow at Taiwan’s National Policy Foundation (中華戰略前瞻協會), said this was the 14th time the U.S. Navy had sent vessels through the Taiwan Strait since President Joe Biden took office. Yet, he added, this instance was especially significant for the region since it came after the U.S. had decided not to defend Ukraine from a Russian attack.

The transit was aimed at addressing the concerns of Washington’s partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific and signaling its ongoing commitment to them, Chieh concluded.