SYDNEY, Feb 22 - An Australian warship passed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday and Saturday, Canberra said, marking another navigation of the sensitive waterway by a U.S. ally. Chinese state-backed media reported that the passage was tracked and monitored by the nation's military.
The vessel involved was the Toowoomba, an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy. A government source described the movement as a "routine transit through the Taiwan Strait" and said it was conducted as part of a "Regional Presence Deployment in the Indo-Pacific region."
According to the Australian source, interactions with other nations' ships and aircraft during the transit were "safe and professional." No further operational details were provided by the source.
Separately, China's Global Times, a state-backed newspaper, cited an unnamed Chinese military source and reported late on Saturday that "the Chinese People’s Liberation Army carried out full-process tracking, monitoring, and alert operations throughout the transit." The article did not provide additional specifics beyond that claim.
The Taiwan Strait remains a focal point of tension. Beijing asserts sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan and treats the narrow strait as Chinese territorial waters, responding on occasion with aggressive measures to foreign naval transits. Taipei rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, maintaining that only the island's people can determine their future.
U.S. warships move through the strait every few months, a practice that provokes strong reactions from Beijing, and other U.S. allies have also carried out occasional transits. The article lists France, Australia, Britain and Canada among those allies.
The report also notes that China has increased its military presence around Taiwan and carried out its most recent war games around the island in late December. The account did not include further comment from Taiwanese or Chinese official spokespeople beyond those referenced above.
Summary
The Royal Australian Navy frigate Toowoomba completed a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait during a regional deployment, with Chinese state-backed media reporting that the People’s Liberation Army tracked and monitored the movement. The passage comes amid heightened military activity in and around Taiwan, and follows a pattern of periodic transits by U.S. and allied warships.
Key points
- The Toowoomba, an Anzac-class frigate, transited the Taiwan Strait on Friday and Saturday as part of a Regional Presence Deployment in the Indo-Pacific.
- Australia said interactions were "safe and professional," while China’s Global Times cited an unnamed military source saying the PLA carried out full-process tracking and monitoring.
- Sectors to watch include defense and maritime transport, given the naval focus of the report and the strait's role as a strategic waterway.
Risks and uncertainties
- Escalatory responses - The article notes that Beijing has at times responded aggressively to foreign naval transits, a dynamic that creates the risk of heightened military tensions; this is particularly relevant for defense and regional security markets.
- Increased military activity - China has stepped up its military presence around Taiwan and held war games in late December, underscoring uncertainty about near-term stability in the Taiwan Strait; this may concern defense contractors and insurers servicing maritime routes.
- Sovereignty dispute - Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and insists on self-determination, a persistent political uncertainty that underpins the potential for future confrontations affecting trade and regional investment confidence.