According to a statement released by New Zealand’s Defence Minister, Judy Collins, on September 26th, naval ships from New Zealand, Australia, and Japan crossed the Taiwan Strait on September 25th. This marked the first time New Zealand naval ships have crossed the Taiwan Strait since 2017, with the aim of upholding freedom of navigation rights in the region.
The Japanese naval vessel participating in this voyage marks the first time in 70 years that a Japanese naval ship has crossed the Taiwan Strait.
In June 2022, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin claimed that China has “sovereignty and jurisdiction” over the Taiwan Strait according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Both the United States and Taiwan view the Taiwan Strait as international waters and a crucial trade route, with approximately half of the world’s container ships passing through this area annually.
When establishing diplomatic relations with China, Western countries have generally taken a stance similar to the U.S. government’s One-China Policy, acknowledging Taiwan as part of China but not as part of the People’s Republic of China.
As a result, since Beijing asserted sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait, countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands have all dispatched ships to cross the Taiwan Strait, signaling to Beijing their commitment to defending freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait.