Xi Jinping's Officials Slam US For Flexing 'Muscles' In Name Of 'Freedom' After Warship Sails Through Taiwan Strait

Xi Jinping's army was on alert as a U.S. warship transited the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, the first crossing in two months. 

What Happened: Although the U.S. Navy called it a "routine" operation, the People's Liberation Army followed and monitored the U.S. guided-missile destroyer Chung-hoon’s passage through the Strait, reported Reuters. 

"All movements were under control," the Chinese Army's Eastern Theatre Command said.

The operation also drew massive criticism from the Chinese embassy in the U.S., which called on the administration to "immediately stop provoking troubles, escalating tensions and undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

See Also: US-China Chip Dispute, Putin’s War, Middle-East Tensions And Other Geopolitical Risks For 2023: What Experts Say

"U.S. warships frequently flex muscles in the name of exercising freedom of navigation. This is not about keeping the region free and open," the embassy said.

The U.S. called it a "routine Taiwan Strait transit … through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law".

This comes days after the U.S. military said that a Chinese J-11 fighter jet had flown within meters of a U.S. RC-135 surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea. The incident forced the U.S. aircraft to launch evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Europe and Asia coverage by following this link.