US warship sails in S. China Sea as Chinese drills near Taiwan enter third day

The US Navy says one of its warships carried out what it called "a navigational rights and freedoms mission" in the South China Sea at the same time as Chinese military drills around Taiwan entered their third day.

The provocative maneuver by guided-missile destroyer USS Milius near the Spratly Islands on Monday came amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington as the Chinese military was simulating precision strikes against the self-ruled island of Taiwan in drills that began Saturday.

The US Navy insisted that the operation by its warship near China's territorial waters was consistent with international law.

"At the conclusion of the operation, USS Milius exited the excessive claim area and continued operations in the South China Sea," said a US Navy statement. "This freedom of navigation operation upheld the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea."

The development came days after the chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee vowed that American lawmakers would authorize a direct military confrontation with China if Beijing launched an attack on Taiwan.

US ready to go to war with China over Taiwan: Congressman Michael McCaul

A senior US legislator vows Congress would authorize a direct war with China over Taiwan.

“If communist China invaded Taiwan, it would certainly be on the table and something that would be discussed by Congress and with the American people," Republican Michael McCaul said in a televised interview on Friday.

“If the American people support this, the Congress will follow,” McCaul added while speaking to right-wing Fox News from Taipei -- where he was leading a bipartisan delegation to the territory claimed by China.

The Hawkish legislator, however, failed to explain how his claim of popular support for a war on China would be measured.

Taiwan air defense detects Chinese warplanes

These developments came as Taiwan's defense ministry said it spotted 11 Chinese warships and 70 aircraft near the island on Sunday as China is staging large-scale military drills dubbed “Joint Sword” amid heightened tensions. 

“R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond [to] these activities,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to Taiwan’s official name of the Republic of China.

The ministry said 35 of the detected aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the territory’s air defense identification zone.

The ministry said it was responding to Chinese drills in "a calm and composed manner, adding that the warplanes detected until 4 pm local time (0800 GMT) included a mix of fighter jets and bombers.

It further noted that particular attention was paid to the People's Liberation Army's Rocket Force which is in charge of China's land-based missile system.

"Regarding the movements of the Chinese communists' Rocket Force, the nation's military also has a close grasp through the joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system, and air defense forces remain on high alert," read the statement.

Chinese media broadcast footage of naval drills

Meanwhile, Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV aired footage of the military exercises on Sunday showing China's naval forces firing guns and unmanned drones from aboard a vessel while conducting live-fire drills at sea on the second day of operation around Taiwan.

The three days of military drills kicked off around Taiwan on Saturday, a day after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a visit to the United States, where she met with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy and other American lawmakers in a provocative move.

On Monday, China fired live-fire drills near Taiwan with fighter jets carrying out “simulated strikes” near the self-governed island during the exercises, which also included the Shandong aircraft carrier, the Chinese military said in a statement on Monday.

“Multiple batches of H-6K fighters carrying live ammunition … carried out multiple waves of simulated strikes on important targets on Taiwan Island,” the Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement.

China deploys warships, aircraft near Taiwan for second day after Tsai-McCarthy meet

China has deployed warships and aircraft near Taiwan for a second day, Taiwanese officials said on Friday, as tensions mount between Beijing and the self-ruled island over a meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Tsai, however, has downplayed the drills, vowing to continue her efforts with "the US and other like-minded countries" for secession.

Beijing regards Chinese Taipei as an inseparable part of its territory and has vowed to take it back one day, even by force if necessary.

Under the internationally accepted "one China" principle, the global community -- the US included -- has agreed that there is officially only one Chinese government.

Last summer, China deployed warships, missiles, and fighter jets around Chinese Taipei in its largest show of force in years following a trip to the island in August 2022 by McCarthy's predecessor, Nancy Pelosi.

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