French warship makes bold move near Taiwan as China watches closely
A French naval vessel sailed through Taiwan Strait while Chinese military kept close eye on the passage. European nations show growing interest in this key trade route between Taiwan and mainland China
A French war-ship passed through Taiwan Strait last night moving north-bound‚ while Taiwans military kept watch over the passage (which happens about once every month with US and allied vessels)
The transit comes right after Chinese war-games in the area earlier this month: Beijing which sees Taiwan as its territory claims full control over the 110-mile wide water-way. However‚ the situation stayed normal during the passage
Europe and Taiwan work side-by-side to protect democracy and peace in our region
Several European nations showed support for free navigation in recent months:
- German ships sailed through in Sept
- French navy made similar moves last year
- British vessels joined past missions
The strait which serves as key trade route creates disagreement between China and other nations — Beijing says its their water while US and Taiwan see it as international passage-way. Wu who worked as Taiwanʼs rep in Paris till Aug noted growing Euro-Asian cooperation
The water-way that divides mainland China and Taiwan; remains vital for global shipping despite Chinese protests against foreign ships presence
