After several months, the U.S. military has resumed its passage through the Taiwan Strait
On the 17th, the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army issued a statement saying that on January 16 to 17, the U.S. Navy's "Finn" destroyer and "Sears" oceanographic survey ship passed through the Taiwan Strait. The command organized sea and air forces to monitor and guard throughout the process.
This is likely the first time the U.S. military has sent warships through the Taiwan Strait in 2026. There are two situations worth noting:
Firstly, this time the U.S. naval vessels passing through the Taiwan Strait also included an oceanographic survey ship, and the operation lasted for two days. Therefore, it may be considered that the presence of the ship in the Taiwan Strait was probably to collect hydrological intelligence of the strait, such as using a towed sonar operation;
Secondly, since September 2025, until January 17 of this year, there was a period of vacancy in the U.S. naval ships' passage through the Taiwan Strait.
(Now, the U.S. military passes through the Taiwan Strait almost every 1 to 2 months. Essentially, it is a "check-in action," aiming to demonstrate "denying our country's jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait.")
Considering the international events at that time, the U.S. military's period of vacancy was likely to coordinate with Trump's efforts to seek a China-U.S. trade war negotiation, to avoid the negotiation breaking down. Now that Trump has obtained the trade war truce agreement, the U.S. military's "check-in action" naturally resumed as well.
Therefore, it can be anticipated that the U.S. military will definitely restart this provocative passage through the Taiwan Strait in 2026 — in short, it's to deliberately show off their presence and annoy people.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854561540450372/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.