TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China said the Netherlands sent a naval frigate through the Taiwan Strait, Reuters reported Friday.
The Chinese military said it dispatched naval and air assets to track the movements of the De Ruyter. The same ship had been spotted a week earlier near the disputed Xisha, or Paracel, Islands in the South China Sea.
In both cases, the Dutch government said the naval vessel was operating in accordance with international law and was passing through the region for diplomatic, security, and economic reasons.
The US, Japan, the UK, Canada, France, and Australia have also sent naval ships through the Taiwan Strait. China’s People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said its forces were staying on high alert at all times, Reuters reported.
According to the Dutch navy’s Facebook page, the frigate De Ruyter visited Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam over the past month.
