China’s stance on the Taiwan Strait
Beijing’s military assertiveness is not limited to Taiwan itself, it also extends across the Taiwan Strait. China uses its armed forces to assert and enforce excessive claims in the Taiwan Strait.
The Chinese government rejects the idea that the Taiwan Strait qualifies as a channel for “international navigation,” as defined in Article 37 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Instead, Beijing argues that the Strait is too narrow to meet that threshold and insists that the waters “from both shores towards the middle of the Strait” constitute a mix of China’s internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, and exclusive economic zone.
On this basis, China claims that foreign military vessels transiting the Strait under the principle of innocent passage are violating its sovereign rights. To enforce this stance, the PLA Navy, and at times the Coast Guard, closely monitor and shadow foreign ships. In recent years, including in 2023, Chinese vessels have engaged in increasingly assertive and risky maneuvers to intimidate transiting navies. These actions are typically accompanied by strong diplomatic protests, delivered both in Beijing and to the governments of the transiting states.
How countries challenge freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait
In response, a growing number of countries now conduct naval transits through the Taiwan Strait to contest China’s excessive claims and to reaffirm key principles of UNCLOS. These operations highlight the importance of unimpeded passage and reinforce broader commitments to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Approaches, however, vary. Some states make their transits highly visible, framing them as deliberate demonstrations of support for international law and freedom of navigation. Others prefer a quieter, low-profile approach, with minimal public attention but clear signalling to Beijing, whose vessels almost always shadow such movements.
Publicly available data indicates that the following countries are active in the Taiwan Strait:
The United States remains very active in the Taiwan Strait. Throughout 2024, U.S. forces transited the Strait at least six times. US Navy vessels were reported in the Strait in January, March, August, and October, while US Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft conducted flyovers in September and November. These activities are typically publicised, signaling that the United States intends to uphold navigational rights and operate wherever international law permits. In addition, the US conducts transits in coordination with Canada. Following a joint transit in June 2023, a second was carried out in mid-October 2024.
Canada has increased its presence in the Taiwan Strait, with reports indicating that Canadian vessels now transit the Strait approximately three times per year. Since the adoption of its Indo-Pacific Strategy in November 2022, Canadian military vessels have reportedly transited the Strait six times. Canada conducts these transits both unilaterally and in coordination with partners, most recently joining the United States for a joint transit in mid-October 2024. Following the US approach, Canada has also embedded journalists aboard its military vessels, including those transiting the Strait, to raise domestic awareness of the challenges its sailors face amid an increasingly assertive China.
Australia is the final country that likely conducts regular transits of the Strait. However, as the Australian government does not advertise transits, the tempo is difficult to determine. China challenged an Australian transit all the way back in 2001, while another transit was confirmed in November 2023. In September 2024, Australia and New Zealand reportedly conducted a joint transit of the Taiwan Strait.
The UK typically transits the Taiwan Strait when its naval vessels are operating in the region. In 2021, HMS Richmond conducted the first UK transit of the Strait since 2008. The transit was publicised as a demonstration of the UK's commitment to regional security and the enforcement of international law. In June 2025 the UK transited the Strait using HMS Spey, a naval patrol vessel permanently stationed in the Indo-Pacific.
France also appears willing to conduct transits of the Taiwan Strait when its naval vessels are operating in the region. French officials confirmed that a Floréal-class surveillance frigate sailed through the Strait shortly after President Macron’s 2023 visit to Beijing. The French frigate Prairialreportedly transited the Strait again in October 2024.
On 25 September 2024, the New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Aotearoa sailed through the Taiwan Strait, marking the first New Zealand naval transit of the Strait since 2017. Aotearoa transited alongside the Australian Navy vessel HMAS Sydney. The New Zealand Defence Force confirmed the transit, describing it as a routine activity conducted in accordance with international law and the right to freedom of navigation.
The Japanese government has historically refrained from sending vessels through the Taiwan Strait. That changed on 25 September 2024, when the Japanese Self-Defense Force destroyer Sazanami transited the strait. This was followed by additional transits in February and June 2025. Japan’s Ministry of Defense has declined to comment on these operations.
In September 2024, two ships from Germany’s navy conducted a transit of the Taiwan Strait, marking the first time in over 20 years that German military vessels have sailed through the waterway. During its previous naval deployment to the region in 2021–22, Germany had avoided the Strait. The German Defence Minister confirmed the 2024 transit and reiterated Germany’s position that the Taiwan Strait constitutes international waters.
The Dutch frigate HNLMS Tromp transited the Taiwan Strait in May 2024, marking a notable shift in Dutch policy. In 2021, the Dutch naval vessel HNLMS Evertsen had deliberately avoided the Strait. The 2024 transit was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
In May 2024, the Turkish anti-submarine frigate TCG Kınalıadatransited the Taiwan Strait from south to north en route to Japan. The deployment marked a rare presence of the Turkish Navy in the region.
