TAIPEI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy warship has transited
the narrow and sensitive Taiwan Strait, Taiwan's Defence
Ministry said on Monday, the second such operation in two weeks
amid rising tensions between China and the United States.
The ministry said a U.S. destroyer, which it did not name,
had sailed in a southerly direction through the strait and was
continuing to sail south.
The ship was on an "ordinary mission" and the situation was
"normal", the ministry added, without giving details.
The U.S. Navy did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
The U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin sailed through
the strait on Aug. 18, in what China's military called an
"extremely dangerous" move. Both China and the United States have been stepping up their
military activities in the region, both around Chinese-claimed
Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned last week of the risk
of accidental conflict from the rise in military
activities. China claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory, and has
never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its
control.
The United States is Taiwan's main arms supplier and most
important backer on the international stage.