US sails guided missile destroyer through flashpoint Taiwan Strait DAYS after China invasion war games as tensions boil

THE United States has sailed a massive warship through the Taiwan Strait, in their latest display of power towards China. The U.S. Navy described the journey as a “routine transit”, which took place only days after China stopped it’s massive drills around Taiwan. APIt’s the first transit made since the recent escalations between Taiwan and China[/caption] APThe vessel (centre) has conducted many joint exercises with South Korean and Japanese crews[/caption] The missile destroyer is heavily armed China announced it had tracked the ship, though it’s journey had been “publicly hyped up” by US authorities. Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the Chinese Army, said: “Theatre troops remain on a high level of alert at all times and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability.” It was only days ago that China was accused of cutting Taiwan’s internet cables as a “dry run” to terrorise the island. Beijing was been accused of deploying its “dark fleet” of spy ships disguised as cargo vessels or fishing boats to carry out the attacks. Now it seems the US is showing their stance on the situation in a new display of power. The missile destroyer USS Milius took its journey through waters where “high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law”, according to the US Navy. American warships are often sailed through the strait, as well as the disputed South China Sea. Rumours of a potential invasion from China into Taiwan have been heightened in recent weeks, with 18 Chinese aircraft spotted around Taiwan in the last 24 hours. Recent months have seen an upsurge in Chinese military activity around Taiwan with warplanes and ships simulating sealing it off. The drills went up a gear last year when a senior US politician visited the island, then into overdrive last weekend when its president, Tsai Ying-wen, visited America. But beneath the radar and away from its bellicose threats and sabre rattling, China has been preparing the ground for the isolation and ultimate capture of Taiwan. Residents of the Taiwanese islands of Matsu, which are just 10 miles from the mainland, recently found that the internet cables connecting to Taiwan proper had been cut – again. A Chinese fishing boat and a cargo ship seen lurking in the area were fingered as suspects for what would have been the 27th such incident. Rick Fisher, an expert on China’s military from the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said the cutting internet cables is a key part of any invasion strategy. “In order to achieve an effective blockade of Taiwan and to maximize psychological pressure to force an early surrender, the severing of undersea communication cables would be a very high priority for the early stages of a Chinese invasion.” APIt sailed through the Taiwan Strait late Sunday into early Monday[/caption] AFPThe USS Milius recently finished joint exercises in the South China Sea[/caption] ReutersThe missile destroyer is estimated to be worth $1billion[/caption]