This year, US warships transited the Taiwan Strait for the first time, with the PLA Eastern Theater Command announcing on Saturday (January 17) that it provided full-process monitoring and alert during the passage and responded effectively.
According to a statement released Saturday on the official social media account of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, spokesperson Senior Colonel Xu Chenghua stated that the US Navy's USS John Finn guided-missile destroyer and the USNS Mary Sears oceanographic survey ship transited the Taiwan Strait from Friday to Saturday (January 16-17).
The Eastern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to monitor and stay on alert throughout the entire passage of the US ships, responding effectively. The command’s forces remained on high alert at all times, resolutely safeguarding China's national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability.
This is also the first time US military vessels have transited the Taiwan Strait since the 'Xi-Trump meeting' (between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Trump) held in Busan, South Korea, on October 30 last year, and it is the fourth such transit since Trump took office in January of last year.
However, compared to the previous three instances, the PLA did not criticize the US military action on Saturday.
From February 10 to 12, 2025, the US guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch transited the Taiwan Strait. The Eastern Theater Command at that time criticized the "US actions as sending the wrong signal and increasing security risks."
On April 23, 2025, the US guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence transited the Taiwan Strait. The Eastern Theater Command criticized the US for hyping up the event, stating that "the relevant US comments distort right and wrong, twist the law, confuse the public, and mislead international perceptions."
On September 12, 2025, the US destroyer USS Higgins and the UK Royal Navy frigate HMS Richmond transited the Taiwan Strait, with the Eastern Theater Command criticizing the move as disruptive and provocative, saying "the actions of the US and UK sides send the wrong message and undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."