The Department of National Defense says the frigate HMCS Vancouver crossed the strait between China and Taiwan along with the US guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins.
A statement Tuesday from the United States Navy’s 7th Fleet said the ships transited “through a corridor in the strait that lies beyond the territorial waters of any coastal state” to demonstrate their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan early last month, angering China, which claims the island as its territory.
In response, the Chinese military fired missiles into the Taiwan Strait and mobilized a large number of ships and warplanes for exercises around the island.
HMCS Vancouver, which has been deployed with HMCS Winnipeg in the waters around the Philippines and Indonesia since August, is expected to participate in exercises with US and Japanese forces while on a sanctions mission.
A CH-148 Cyclone helicopter is being deployed with the ship, and a CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol plane is scheduled to join the sanctions mission in October, operating from Okinawa, Japan, the Department of National Defense says.
“As a Pacific nation, Canada is deeply committed to maintaining global stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” National Defense Minister Anita Anand said in a statement Tuesday.
“Today’s routine transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” Anand added.
Canada’s sanctions mission against North Korea, known as Operation Neon, began in 2018 and was last year extended until the end of April 2023.
