A United States Navy destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday to show the Washington’s “commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the 7th Fleet under the U.S. Pacific Command said in a statement.

The ship, identified as an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Sampson (DDG-102), made the transit as part of a “routine operation and was done in accordance with international laws,” it said.

“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to the statement. “The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”

The USS Sampson is one of the ships in Destroyer Squadron 21, a part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group currently operating in the Philippine Sea.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense later confirmed the transit, saying in a statement that the military was on top of the situation as a U.S. warship sailed north in the Taiwan Strait, and it did not see any irregularities.

The latest transit was the second time this year an American warship has transited the narrow waterway separating Taiwan and China.

The last transit was made by the USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) on Feb. 26.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel