TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US Navy announced on Tuesday that two of its ships passed through the Taiwan Strait while on a north-to-south transit between Feb. 10-12.

The ships involved were the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch, Reuters reported. This is the first such passage under the second Trump administration.

"The transit occurred through a corridor in the Taiwan Strait that is beyond any coastal state's territorial seas," Navy Commander Matthew Comer, a US Indo-Pacific Command spokesperson, said. "Within this corridor, all nations enjoy high-seas freedom of navigation, overflight, and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to these freedoms," he said.

The Taiwan military said it closely monitored the surrounding sea and airspace as the transit occurred and described the situation as “normal.” 

China’s PLA Eastern Theater Command slammed the transit, saying it “sent the wrong signals and increased security risks.” The command said it is “on high alert at all times to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability."

The last US Navy passage through the Taiwan Strait was conducted by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins in October. It sailed alongside the Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver. The US 7th Fleet called it a demonstration of America’s “commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle.”