US ships and planes will make further crossings of the Taiwan Strait "
in the coming weeks
", despite growing tensions with China over the island, a senior US official said on Friday (August 12th).
US forces "
will continue to fly, navigate or operate wherever international law permits
," said Kurt Campbell, White House Asia-Pacific coordinator.
“
This includes conventional air and sea crossings through the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks.
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High level of tension
Beijing last week launched unprecedented war drills around Taiwan, which it claims to be part of its territory, in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-governing democracy.
China's week-long air and sea drills have pushed tensions in the region to their highest level in years.