TAIWAN STRAIT

Aug. 29, 2022

Two U.S. Navy warships sailed through international waters in the Taiwan Strait, the first such operation since a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged China which regards the island as its territory.

About:

  • Pelosi’s Taiwan trip in early August infuriated China which saw it as a U.S. attempt to interfere in its internal affairs.
  • China subsequently launched military drills near the island which have since continued. China has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control.
  • The Taiwan Strait is a 180-kilometer-wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The narrowest part is 130 km wide.
  • The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north.
  • Former names of the Taiwan Strait include the Formosa Strait or Strait of Formosa, from a dated name for Taiwan; and the Strait of Fokien or Fujian, from the Chinese province forming the strait's western shore.
Source : The Hindu