The Ministry of National Defense has confirmed that U-S and Canadian warships
made a Taiwan Strait transit this past weekend.

Defense officials say the two vessels sailed north through the strait... the
ministry closely monitored nearby airspace and waters as the ships made their
transit and observed no abnormal activity.

While the defense ministry didn't name the vessels, the U-S 7th Fleet has
identified them as the guided-missile destroyer U-S-S Higgins and the Royal
Canadian Navy frigate H-M-C-S Vancouver.

In a statement, the 7th Fleet said the transit demonstrated the U-S' and
Canada's commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a
principle ..

.... and the international community's navigational rights and freedoms in
the Taiwan Strait should not be curtailed.

The statement added that U-S rejects any assertion of sovereignty or
jurisdiction that is inconsistent with freedoms of navigation, overflight,
and other lawful uses of the sea and air.

Beijing claims the transit was "disruptive to the peace and stability of the
Taiwan Strait."