MOFA response to joint passage of US, Canadian warships through Taiwan Strait on October 20

October 21, 2024

The US Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and the Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver conducted a routine transit of the Taiwan Strait on October 20. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomes and affirms the United States and Canada once again taking concrete action to emphasize the Taiwan Strait's status in law as an international waterway and their firm stance on safeguarding freedom of navigation and regional stability.

The US 7th Fleet and Canadian Joint Operations Command provided details of their joint mission in separate media statements and posts on the social media platform X. The US 7th Fleet statement noted that the transit had taken place through waters where high-seas freedom of navigation applied in accordance with international law. It said that the mission demonstrated the United States' and Canada's commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations and that the international community's navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited. It further stated that the United States rejected any assertion of sovereignty or jurisdiction that was inconsistent with freedoms of navigations, overflight, or other lawful uses of the sea and air. The Canadian Joint Operations Command post on X stated that its activities promoted peace, resilience, and security in the Indo-Pacific.

This was the fourth joint transit of the Taiwan Strait by the United States and Canada in under two years, demonstrating democratic allies' determination to take firm and concrete actions to safeguard Taiwan Strait peace. The government of Taiwan will continue to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities, staunchly oppose authoritarian expansion, and deepen cooperation with like-minded nations so as to jointly defend the rules-based international order as well as peace, stability, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the region.