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| Two US warships sail through Taiwan Strait | Two US warships sail through Taiwan Strait |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| USS Chancellorsville is part of the operation | USS Chancellorsville is part of the operation |
| Two US warships are passing through the Taiwan Strait, the US Navy has announced. | Two US warships are passing through the Taiwan Strait, the US Navy has announced. |
| It is the first such operation to take place since tensions between Taiwan and China increased following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan earlier in August. | It is the first such operation to take place since tensions between Taiwan and China increased following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan earlier in August. |
| China reacted by holding large-scale military drills in the area. | China reacted by holding large-scale military drills in the area. |
| The US and some other Western navies routinely sailed through the strait in recent years. | The US and some other Western navies routinely sailed through the strait in recent years. |
| Washington says the two guided-missile cruisers - the USS Antietam and the USS Chancellorsville - are demonstrating freedom of navigation through international waters. | |
| Beijing views such actions as provocative and maintains that the island of Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory. | Beijing views such actions as provocative and maintains that the island of Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory. |
| The US Navy said in a statement that the transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrated the "United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific". | The US Navy said in a statement that the transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrated the "United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific". |
| "These ships transited through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state," the statement added. | |
| Taiwan is self-ruled, but China sees it as a breakaway province with which it will eventually unite. | |
| Taiwan has become yet another flashpoint amid heightened tensions and sharp rhetoric between Washington and Beijing in recent years, with the US walking a diplomatic tightrope on the issue. | |
| The US abides by the "One China" policy - a cornerstone of the two countries' diplomatic relationship which recognises only one Chinese government - and has formal ties with Beijing and not Taiwan. | |
| But it also maintains a "robust unofficial" relationship with the island. That includes selling weapons for Taiwan to defend itself. | |
| China and Taiwan: The basics | China and Taiwan: The basics |
| Why do China and Taiwan have poor relations? China sees the self-ruled island as a part of its territory and insists it should be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary | Why do China and Taiwan have poor relations? China sees the self-ruled island as a part of its territory and insists it should be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary |
| How is Taiwan governed? The island has its own constitution, democratically elected leaders, and about 300,000 active troops in its armed forces | How is Taiwan governed? The island has its own constitution, democratically elected leaders, and about 300,000 active troops in its armed forces |
| Who recognises Taiwan? Only a few countries recognise Taiwan. Most recognise the Chinese government in Beijing instead. The US has no official ties with Taiwan, but does have a law which requires it to provide the island with the means to defend itself |