A source close to French Defence Minister Florence Parly said: “France reaffirms its commitment to freedom of navigation in accordance with the law of the sea. “The French Navy transits through the Taiwan Strait on average once a year without incident or reaction. China’s Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said earlier on Thursday that a French warship – believed to be the Vendemiaire – had “illegally entered China’s territorial waters” on April 7.
Speaking at a monthly news briefing in Beijing, Mr Guoqiang said the Chinese navy had dispatched ships to identify, warn and escort the French ship and would remain “highly alert to firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty and security.”
He added: “The Chinese military sent warships in accordance with the law, in order to identify the French ship and warn it to sail away.
“The Chinese side has already made solemn representations to the French side.”
Colonel Patrik Steiger, spokesman for France’s military chief of staff, for his part refused to comment on an operational mission.
While Mr Ren did not formally identify the vessel, the Vendemiaire had been expected to take part in an international naval parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of China’s navy earlier this week.
But the French ship never showed up, without an explanation from either country.
Warships from India, Australia and several other nations, however, took part in the event.
China is highly sensitive to operations by foreign vessels near areas it claims, such as the South China Sea.
The passages through the 160-kilometre-wide strait annoy China, which claims self-governed and democratic Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification.
Beijing has been ramping up pressure to assert its sovereignty over the island.
The strait is considered an international waterway heavily trafficked by ships from all nations, most of them bound for Chinese ports.
France is seeking to bolster economic ties with China, widely seen as an increasingly assertive superpower.
Last month, the two countries struck deals worth billions of euros during a visit to Paris by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The military incident also comes amid rising tensions between the United States and China.
Taiwan is one of the many bones of contention between Washington and Beijing, which also include a bitter trade war, US sanctions and Chinese hegemony in the South China Sea, where the US conducts freedom of navigation patrols.