Key facts
- China's PLA Eastern Theatre Command tracked a Dutch warship in the Taiwan Strait.
- The PLA stated its forces will remain on high alert.
- The Dutch frigate De Ruyter allegedly experienced electronic interference in the South China Sea previously.
- The Dutch warship's helicopter reportedly intruded into airspace over the Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands).
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced on Friday that its forces had tracked and monitored a Dutch warship during its transit through the Taiwan Strait. This development occurred days after an incident where the same vessel reportedly encountered electronic interference while in the South China Sea. According to a statement on social media by the PLA's Eastern Theatre Command, the shipborne helicopter of the Dutch frigate De Ruyter had 'illegally intruded into the airspace over China's Xisha [the Chinese name for the Paracel Islands]'. The PLA indicated that its forces would maintain a state of high alert.