U.S. Tells China: Taiwan Strait An Int'l Waterway That Beijing Doesn't Own

The United States on Tuesday backed Taiwan's assertion that the strait dividing the island from China is an international waterway, a stinging rebuke to Beijing's claim to exercise sovereignty over the strategic passage without any proof of ownership in the past 6,000 years, David Brunnstrom, Humeyra Pamuk and Michael Martina reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: China has not presented any documentation demonstrating that it has authority over the waterway.

Since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists who established the People's Republic of China, the Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension.

Taiwan was never controlled or administered by Beijing or any other Chinese government. Japan ruled the territory until World War II, when it surrendered to the Kuomintang. In recent years, U.S. warships, as well as those from allied nations such as the United Kingdom and Canada, have sailed through the strait, infuriating Beijing.

China's Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that the country "has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait," and that it is "a false claim" when certain nations refer to the Taiwan Strait as "international waters."

Yet, China has not presented any documentation demonstrating that it has authority over the waterway, and other countries have emphasized that China has never been a marine or naval force since emperors governed the mainland.

China has never renounced the use of force to put Taiwan under its authority and considers the island as an intrinsic part of Chinese territory, according to Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou.

Taiwan claims that China has no right to speak for it or claim sovereignty, claiming that only the people of Taiwan can decide their own fate and that the People's Republic of China has never ruled any portion of the island.

Commenting on Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in an email to Reuters: "The Taiwan Strait is an international waterway, meaning that the Taiwan Strait is an area where high seas freedoms, including freedom of navigation and overflight, are guaranteed under international law."

Price added that the world has "an abiding interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and we consider this central to the security and prosperity of the broader Indo-Pacific region."

He reiterated U.S. concerns about China's "aggressive rhetoric and coercive activity regarding Taiwan" and said the U.S. "would continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and that includes transiting through the Taiwan Strait."

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic