Why did China file a complaint with Canada over a warship? – National
China has filed complaints with Canada through military and diplomatic channels after a Canadian warship crossed the Taiwan The Taiwan Strait has been hit by an explosion, China’s Defense Ministry said Friday.
The act “provoked unrest and caused trouble,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We warn Canada that it must adhere to the one-China principle and be cautious in its words and deeds on the Taiwan issue,” ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said.
The frigate sailed through the Taiwan Strait in what Ottawa called a commitment to an open Indo-Pacific, drawing a rebuke from China that naval exercise On July 31, peace was shattered.
Canada’s Department of National Defence said HMCS Montreal “recently completed a routine transit” through the strait, which Defence Minister Bill Blair said was a reaffirmation of Canada’s commitment to a “free, open and inclusive” Indo-Pacific.
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“As stated in our Indo-Pacific Strategy“Canada is increasing the presence of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Indo-Pacific region,” Blair said, referring to Canada’s plan for the region announced in 2022.
Li Xi, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, said the Canadian frigate’s passage had “harassed and disrupted the situation and undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Chinese troops, he added, are on constant alert and are “ready to respond to any threats and provocations.”
China claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan and asserts jurisdiction over the nearly 180-kilometer-wide waterway that separates the two sides.
