MND monitoring Taiwan Strait amid foreign warship transit reports

Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Saturday it is closely monitoring the Taiwan Strait after foreign media reported that Canadian and Australian warships transited the waterway.

The MND told CNA that it employs joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance measures to maintain full awareness of sea and air activity in the area, and has deployed appropriate forces to ensure security and stability.

According to Canada's CTV, Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Québec and Australian guided-missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane transited the strait Saturday morning Taipei time, citing data from the ships' automatic identification system transponders.

Canada's Department of National Defence did not confirm whether the transit was underway at the time of publication, CTV reported, but a spokesperson for Canadian Joint Operations Command said the agency would release a statement from Ottawa later.

Neither China nor Australia had publicly commented on the transit, CTV said.

The reports come amid heightened regional tensions, with China claiming the Taiwan Strait as its territorial waters and criticizing joint exercises by Canada, Australia and the Philippines in the South China Sea earlier this week.

CTV quoted the Canadian government as saying the exercises were "conducted in a manner that is consistent with international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and with due regard to the safety of navigation."

The drills, however, prompted a response from China, with a spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command accusing the Philippines of colluding with Western allies to undermine peace and stability in the region, CTV reported.

"Any attempt to stir up trouble in the South China Sea and create tensions is doomed to fail," command spokesperson Tian Junli (田軍里) said in a news release, stressing that its forces would "remain on high alert to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights."