Beijing delivered a strongly worded warning to Tokyo on Thursday after Japan a day earlier sent a Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel through the Taiwan Strait for the first time ever following a series of unprecedented Chinese military moves inside Japanese airspace and waters.
China's Foreign Ministry confirmed that an MSDF destroyer sailed through the waterway on Wednesday along with warships from Australia and New Zealand as they made their way to joint exercises in the South China Sea.
"The Chinese military has dealt with the vessel activities of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in the Taiwan Strait in accordance with the law and regulations, and the Chinese side remains highly alert over Japan’s political intentions," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference.
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