Japan's Kage-Class Destroyer Transits Taiwan Strait; China Lodges Formal Protest

Gate News message, April 17 — A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer, the Kage, transited the Taiwan Strait on April 17, prompting China's Eastern Theater Command to mobilize air and naval forces for full-process monitoring and control, according to Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang.

China has lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Japan, characterizing the transit as a deliberate provocation. Zhang stated that Japan's actions send wrong signals to pro-independence forces in Taiwan and violate the One-China principle and the four political documents between China and Japan. He also referenced recent controversial remarks on Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Takayoshi Noda, saying Japan has shown no remorse.

China's military maintains heightened alert and is prepared to counter all external interference to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang concluded.