A US warship crossed the critical Taiwan Strait on Thursday as part of routine operations, angering China but being classified as such by the US Navy.
Warships from the US, as well as occasionally those from allies like Britain and Canada, have transited the strait in recent years, bringing criticism from China, which claims Taiwan despite the country's democratically elected government's objections.
The passage was carried out, according to a statement from the US Navy, by the Chung-Hoon, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
The statement also stated that Chung-passage Hoon's through the Taiwan Strait "demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."
China firmly rejects the measure, and Liu Pengyu, a spokeswoman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, urged the US to "immediately stop instigating problems, escalating tensions, and undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
"US warships frequently show off their power while pretending to be defending their right to sail. It is not the intention to keep the area open and unoccupied "said the sentence.
By keeping a constant state of high alert and readiness to respond to any threats or provocations at any time, China will tenaciously safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Personnel were arranged to watch and guard the ship's crossing, and "all movements were under control," according to a spokeswoman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command.
The ship travelled northward across the strait, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry, and crew members constantly monitored it to make sure nothing untoward was occurring.
The narrow Taiwan Strait has frequently been the scene of military conflict since since the defeated government of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists, who later established the People's Republic of China.
Despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, US law requires that Taiwan be provided with self-defense weapons.
The prospect of using force to conquer Taiwan has never been ruled out by China. Taiwan affirms its commitment to self-defense in the event of an attack and refutes Beijing's assertions of the island's sovereignty by arguing that the People's Republic of China has never ruled it.
Last month, a Chinese military plane in the disputed South China Sea came within 10 feet (3 metres) of a US air force aircraft, causing it to do evasive manoeuvres to avoid a collision in international airspace.
The close encounter came during a period of time in which Chinese military aircraft were acting in an increasingly risky manner, according to the United States.
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