Malaysia–Vietnam border

A US warship sailed through the waters separating Taiwan and mainland China, the US Navy said, days after Beijing staged war games around the self-ruled island.

Led by the United States, multiple Western navies regularly conduct "freedom of navigation operations" to assert the international status of regional waterways such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

China simulated a "secession" of Taiwan on today's third day of military exercises around the island, and the US, in a show of force, deployed a warship in waters claimed by China, AFP reported.

China launched the drills in response to a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the US.

The Chinese military said it had tracked a US warship in the South China Sea on Thursday and "warned it to leave" waters claimed by Beijing.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea -- a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually -- despite an international court ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.

A British warship will sail from Australia through the disputed South China Sea next month to assert freedom of navigation rights, a senior official said yesterday in a move likely to irk Beijing.

China has returned a U.S. underwater drone taken by one of its naval vessels in the disputed South China Sea last week after what it said were friendly talks with the United States, which reiterated its criticism of the "unlawful" seizure.
 

China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea, Taiwan and U.S. officials said, while Chinese FM Wang Yi on Feb. 17 sought to downplay reports that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles.

The patrol by a U.S. warship close to islands China controls in the South China Sea harmed mutual trust between China and the United States and caused regional tensions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his U.S. counterpart in a call.