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Snapshot 1:Thu, Sep 26, 2024 7:48:25 PM GMT last edited by Brian

Japan warship sails through Taiwan Strait

Above: Three military boats from Taiwan's Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit patrol the Matsu Islands with a view of China's Fujian province in the background on April 9, 2023. Image copyright: Yan Zhao/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Japan's JS Sazanami naval destroyer, accompanied by Australian and New Zealand naval ships, sailed through the Taiwan Straight on Wednesday for the first time.

  • While this was the Japanese navy's first time sailing through the straight since World War II, the reason for which it said was to travel to the South China Sea for military exercises, the US, Australia, and the UK have been doing so for years.


The Spin

China's military has been sailing through and flying over the Taiwan straight for months, antagonizing both neighboring countries like Japan and the Philippines, and allies like Australia. Not only is Beijing attempting to control the sovereign state of Taiwan, but also the internationally recognized waterways upon which many countries rely. If Beijin continues to flex its military might in the region, Western navies will respond in kind.

The Western establishment, directed by neoconservatives in the US with the help of its Asian allies, is trying to turn the South China Sea region into another NATO-like military alliance. To accomplish this, just as it did to Yugoslavia, Kosovo, and Serbia, it seems Western militaries are preparing to invade the region, risking an all-out war with China. US allies in Asia and Europe must stop taking marching orders from Washington before it's too late.


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