Japan sails warship in Taiwan Strait for first time
Japan sails warship in Taiwan Strait
Getty Images Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer SazanamiGetty Images
The destroyer Sazanami sailed through the waterway on its way to a multilateral exercise in the South China Sea, reports say
A Japanese warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China for the first time, prompting Beijing to lodge complaints with Tokyo.
The JS Sazanami, a naval destroyer, travelled south through the strait on Wednesday, accompanied by ships from Australia and New Zealand.
It was on its way to military exercises in the South China Sea, Japanese media reported government ministers saying.
The passage is a significant move by Japan, which is thought to have avoided sailing its ships through the strait in order not to upset China, which claims self-governed Taiwan and the strait.
