PLA monitors Canadian vessel's passage throughout Taiwan Straits, effectively handling situation: spokesperson
On Sunday, the Canadian frigate HMCS Ottawa sailed through the Taiwan Straits and attempted to generate public attention around the transit. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army deployed naval and air assets to monitor and track the Canadian vessel's movements, ensuring a controlled and effective response, Senior Captain Li Xi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the PLA, said in a statement on Monday.
Sources from PLA disclosed that all actions taken by the Canadian vessel during its transit were closely monitored and controlled by the Chinese side. A Chinese expert told the Global Times that Canada should acknowledge that blindly following the US' "Indo-Pacific strategy" will ultimately be detrimental to its own interests.
The theater command deployed naval and air forces to monitor and remain on alert throughout the transit of the vessel, said Li, according to the statement released by the theater command on Monday.
Li denounced the Canadian warship's transit as an act that deliberately stirred up trouble and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.
He stressed that the theater command will remain on high alert and resolutely take countermeasures against any threats or provocations.
AFP reported that the Royal Canadian Navy's Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa sailed through the Taiwan Straits on Sunday, citing a statement from Taiwan's so-called "external affairs" department.
Citing the island's defense authority, AFP further claimed that 24 PLA aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, were detected carrying "joint combat readiness patrols" with military vessels around the island.
During the Canadian warship's passage, the PLA radioed the ship and warned it to change course, AFP reported, citing media on the island of Taiwan.
According to Reuters report on Monday, regarding The PLA's statement, the Canadian military declined immediate comment. While the "external affairs" department on the island of Taiwan has "welcomed the sailing."
Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Monday that the Taiwan authorities are very concerned about being used as a bargaining chip by the US, therefore, any perceived external support is likely to be exaggerated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for political gain.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert, believed that the Canadian warship's Taiwan Straits transit has conveyed misleading signals to Taiwan authorities, fostering the false belief that external forces will support their separatist ambitions.
The HMCS Ottawa has been operating in waters near China since the beginning of the year. Canadian news outlet CTV National News reported that PLA warships tracked the Canadian frigate in the East China Sea and the South China Sea in January.
On the other hand, some observers have noticed that compared with the previous times, Canada has adopted a more restrained approach in its latest vessel's Straits passage, in contrast to Australia's recent hype of "unsafe and unprofessional" behavior by a Chinese fighter jet in the South China Sea.
In this regard, Zheng said that Canadian vessels have sailed through the Taiwan Straits many times under the banner of maintaining "freedom of navigation," and the latest operation of Canadian vessel was still in the implementation of the plan that had been drawn up before. "As a follower of the US 'Indo-Pacific strategy,' Canada has increased its presence in the Asia-Pacific region."
From February 10 to February 12, the US destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the oceanographic survey ship USNS Bowditch transited the Taiwan Straits. According to Senior Captain Li Xi, the PLA Eastern Theater Command deployed naval and air forces to monitor the entire passage of the US vessels, effectively responding to and managing the situation.
However, as the US-Canada relationship is undergoing a phase of a delicate recalibration, Canada must acknowledge that its development and prosperity are intrinsically linked to cooperation with the global community, including China, Zheng said, "only when the two sides [Beijing and Ottawa] maintain a strategic understanding can they engage in in-depth cooperation."
Blindly aligning with US strategy will ultimately prove counterproductive and detrimental to Canada's interests, the expert noted.