The United States Navy is assessing the launch of a sensitive new operation sending warships through the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions with China.
Officials told Reuters on Saturday that US military forces were mulling the idea of sending warships through the Taiwan Strait to guarantee free passage through the key waterway.
The source noted that the move could ratchet up already high tensions with China over trade and relations with self-governing Taiwan.
In July, a pair of the US Navy’s guided-missile destroyers passed through the Taiwan Strait.
Chinese media denounced the move as a “psychological game”.
According to Reuters, China raised concerns over the US’s relationship with Taiwan during talks with Defense Secretary James Mattis in Singapore this week.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, and almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty under a policy known as “One China.”
Chinese officials warned late…