Canadian, Australian warships enter Taiwan Strait following rebuke from China

HMCS Ville de Quebec departs Halifax on July 18, 2018. On board was a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, marking the first international deployment of the Canadian military's new twin-engine machine.

A Canadian and an Australian warship entered the Taiwan Strait on Friday, one day after the Chinese military accused both countries of trying to stir tensions with naval exercises in the South China Sea.

The Canadian frigate, HMCS Ville de Québec, and the Australian guided-missile destroyer, HMAS Brisbane, entered the disputed waterway, which China claims as part of its territorial waters, early Saturday morning local time, according to the ships’ automatic identification system transponders.

The Department of National Defence would not confirm the transit was underway, but a spokesperson for Canadian Joint Operations Command said the agency would release a statement from Ottawa on Saturday evening.

HMCS Ville de Québec was operating off the Philippines earlier this week, conducting freedom of navigation demonstrations with the country’s armed forces, along with Australia and the United States.

‘Doomed to fail’

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 Department of National Defence said in a statement.

But the exercises drew a swift rebuke 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.

“Any attempt to stir up trouble in the South China Sea and create tensions is doomed to fail,” command spokesperson Tian Junli said in a news release, emphasizing its military would “remain on high alert to safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.”

Neither China nor Australia had publicly addressed the transiting of the Taiwan Strait at the time of publication.

Earlier this week, Capt. Wyatt Shorter, a spokesperson for the Canadian Joint Operations Command, would not comment on whether the Canadian frigate would enter the strait, even as a transit seemed imminent given the vessel’s publicly available location.

“The CAF does not comment on sail plans for currently deployed ships as discussing these details in advance would be a breach of operational security,” Shorter said in an emailed statement to CTV News.

“HMCS Ville de Québec is currently deployed on Operation HORIZON, the CAF’s comprehensive military approach to promote peace and stability in support of an international system based on international law in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Earlier this year, HMCS Montreal transited the Taiwan Strait in what the Department of National Defence deemed a “routine” crossing that demonstrated Canada’s commitment to a “free, open and inclusive” Indo-Pacific region.

In response, the Chinese military denounced the crossing, saying in a statement its forces had “effectively dealt with” the Canadian ship and would continue to “resolutely take countermeasures against any threats or provocations.”

HMCS Ville de Québec deployed to the Indo-Pacific region in April carrying approximately 240 crewmembers and an RCAF Cyclone helicopter.