Trump sends US warship to China's coast
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John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He has covered foreign policy and defense matters, especially in relation to U.S.-China ties and cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan. John joined Newsweek in 2020 after reporting in Central Europe and the United Kingdom. He is a graduate of National Chengchi University in Taipei and SOAS, University of London. Languages: English and Chinese. You can get in touch with John by emailing j.feng@newsweek.com
John Feng and
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian security issues, and cross-strait ties between China and Taiwan. You can get in touch with Micah by emailing m.mccartney@newsweek.com.
Contributing Editor, Asia
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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An American warship sailed through a narrow sea corridor between China and Taiwan on Wednesday, Newsweek has learned, in a subtle show of force by the Trump administration amid U.S. geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions with Beijing.
The USS William P. Lawrence, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit April 23 (local time) through waters where freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law," a spokesperson for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command told Newsweek in an email.
Why It Matters
China says self-ruled Taiwan is part of Chinese territory, a position the island's government rejects. The United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei but is its mains arms supplier. Washington officially takes no position on sovereignty over Taiwan and does not recognize Beijing's claim.
The U.S. ship's maneuver was partially visible on vessel-tracking platforms including MarineTraffic at the time. However, there was no public acknowledgement of the activity from Beijing or Taipei at the time of publication.
April 23 is China's Navy Day. The People's Liberation Army is celebrating the service's 76th anniversary.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
