Two U.S. Navy destroyers, Antietam and Chancellorsville, have started passing through the Taiwan Strait for the first time since a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

This transit is reported by Reuters news agency.

Usually, ships pass through the strait for 8 to 12 hours, being monitored by the Chinese military.

Such operations are carried out not only by the United States, but also by allied states, e.g., the United Kingdom and Canada. Their ships also passed through the strait, causing anger from China.

Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in early August sparked outrage in China. This was regarded as an attempt by the United States to interfere in its internal affairs. As a result, China began military exercises near the island, which have continued to this day.

“These (U.S.) ships transited through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state,” the U.S. Navy said.

The operation demonstrates the United States’ commitment to the free and open Indo-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Navy said the U.S. military flies, swims, and operates everywhere international law allows.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said the ships were sailing southbound and that its forces were watching, but “the situation was normal.”