Key facts
- China's military tracked the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter in the Taiwan Strait.
- Naval and air assets were deployed by China to monitor the frigate.
- This incident follows a prior assertion by Beijing regarding the frigate's presence near the Paracel Islands.
China's military announced that it monitored the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter as it transited the Taiwan Strait. The People's Liberation Army stated that naval and air forces were deployed to track the vessel and that the situation was handled effectively. This event occurred shortly after Beijing accused the same frigate of illegally entering the Paracel Islands archipelago in the disputed South China Sea. China views the Taiwan Strait as its internal waters and frequently asserts its military presence in response to foreign naval activity in the region.