Key facts
- China's military tracked the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter transiting the Taiwan Strait.
- The Dutch frigate's passage followed its activities near the Paracel Islands.
- The PLA Eastern Theater Command stated its forces are on high alert.
- Beijing views the Taiwan Strait as Chinese territorial waters.
China's military announced that it dispatched naval and air assets to track and monitor the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter as it transited the Taiwan Strait. The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command (ETC) stated that the Dutch naval vessel's passage through the strait occurred after its activities in the Paracel Islands, which began on May 27. The ETC spokesperson, Xu Chenghua, affirmed that forces will remain on high alert at all times to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability. Beijing considers the Taiwan Strait, a narrow and highly strategic waterway, as its territorial waters, in addition to claiming sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan. The Netherlands had previously stated that the warship was sailing through the South China Sea for diplomatic, security, and economic reasons, operating in accordance with international law, following an earlier accusation by Beijing that the frigate had illegally intruded into the Paracel Islands archipelago.