China’s military has accused an Australian navy ship of provocation and “causing trouble” by sailing with a Canadian vessel through the Taiwan Strait.<\/p>\n
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it followed and warned Australian guided-missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane and the Canadian ship, Ville de Quebec, as they transited the sensitive waterway.<\/p>\n
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theatre Command of the PLA, said the ships’ passages through the strait sent the wrong signals and increased security risks.<\/p>\n
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The Royal Canadian Navy ship HMCS Ville de Quebec was part of exercises in the Philippine Sea early last week. (Supplied: Department of Defence)<\/p>\n
“On September 6, the Canadian frigate ‘Quebec’ and the Australian destroyer ‘Brisbane’ transited the Taiwan Strait, causing trouble and provoking,” he said.<\/p>\n
“[The PLA] organised naval and air forces to monitor and supervise their entire transits, effectively responding and handling the situation.”<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Defence told the ABC in a statement on Sunday that the HMAS Brisbane had “conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait” and said the movement was “in accordance with international law”.<\/p>\n
“HMAS Brisbane is on a four-month-long Regional Presence Deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. Australian vessels and aircraft will continue to exercise freedom of navigation and uphold International Law, particularly United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the statement said.<\/p>\n
A separate Defence Department statement on Thursday said the HMAS Brisbane had participated in freedom of navigation exercises with Canada, the Philippines and the United States in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone earlier in the week.<\/p>\n
Growing pressure on Taiwan<\/p>\n
Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement that it kept a close watch on activity in the Taiwan Strait.<\/p>\n
It said it dispatched “appropriate air and naval forces to ensure the security and stability” of the waterway, which separates China from the democratic and self-governing island of Taiwan.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Canada’s armed forces said they did not comment on sail plans for currently deployed ships.<\/p>\n