US NAVY chiefs sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait as the Pentagon stepped up the frequency of movement through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China.

The deployment risks stoking tensions in the volatile region but will be viewed by self-ruled Taiwan as a sign of support from the Trump administration amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing. A spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet said: “The ships’ transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.” The destroyer Stethem and Navy cargo and ammunition ship Cesar Chavez sailed through the Taiwan Strait just as Donald Trump was saying how the US and China were “very, very close” to a deal to end a months-long trade war that has slowed global growth and disrupted markets.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1093490/world-war-3-china-us-taiwan-straits-us-navy-warships