The voyage risks further heightening tensions with China, which considers Taiwan its own and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control. Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement late on Thursday the ships were moving in a northerly direction and their voyage was in accordance with regulations. It said Taiwan closely monitored the operation to “ensure the security of the seas and regional stability”.
The operation – the first in 2019 – will likely be viewed in Taiwan as a sign of support from US President Donald Trump’s government amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.
China’s foreign ministry responded by urging the United States to abide by its “one China” principle.
Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks at a regular briefing, adding that China closely followed the US warships’ passage through the Strait.
China has stepped up pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen, from the pro-independence ruling party, took office in 2016. It has regularly sent military aircraft and ships to circle the island on drills in the past few years.
Beijing sent several bombers and aircraft through the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines, earlier on Thursday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a separate statement.
A similar Chinese operation was conducted on Tuesday, the ministry said, and both were monitored closely, with Taiwan making use of new Rui Yuan drones to obtain footage.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in early January China reserves the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control. In response, Tsai vowed to defend the island’s democracy and called for international support to protect Taiwan’s way of life.
Mr Trump recently signed into law the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act reaffirming the US commitment to Taiwan, including arms sales.
Washington has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help it defend itself and is its main source of arms.
The decision to dispatch the warships comes days after US navy chief Admiral John Richardson visited Beijing to discuss ways of avoiding a military “miscalculation”, with him saying afterwards: “We don’t see any kind of limitation on whatever type of ship could pass through those waters.”
Tensions in the region have been mounting in recent months, with China’s military build-up in the South China Sea prompting concern within the international community.
In August a US Navy P-8A Poseidon jet flying at 16,500 feet in the area last August was warned six times to “leave immediately”.
In March 2018, UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson sent anti-submarine frigate HMS through the South China Sea on its way to Australia as a way of asserting Britain’s freedom of navigation rights.
The UK is also planning to build a new Asian naval base, probably in Brunei or Singapore, with Xu Liping, a professor at the China-funded think tank the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, describing the move as “a muscle-flexing gesture”.
Professor Michael Cullinane of the University of Roehampton told Express.co.uk last week: “China supposedly has this 1,000 year history of not invading places but this is anything but that – this is old school imperialism.
“This is looking more and more like a 19th century world we are living in, where power talks, and that’s largely why Donald Trump was elected of course.
“China is doing so many things at the moment – and investing in so many countries, from the Mauritius Islands to Nigeria to Pakistan.
“And Taiwan and the South China Sea is a flashpoint, and a test of how far China is willing to go.”
US-based think-tank the Center for the National Interest has suggested China is planning for the possibility of war with the US over Taiwan.
A blog written by Ian Easton said: “Understanding China’s military buildup means understanding that the PRC is preparing for a dangerous war of aggression against Taiwan, and, by way of extension, the United States and its allies.”