The passage would also come just after U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with regional defense chiefs in Singapore and stressed that the U.S. can sail anywhere it wants in international waters, according to the report. Relations between the U.S. and China have dramatically soured this year over trade tensions and growing friction in the political and military arenas. The WSJ report said a U.S. Navy passage through the strait will be seen by Taiwan as a demonstration of support for the nation. In July, two U.S. Navy ships -- the USS Mustin and the USS Benfold -- sailed through the strait, the first such passage by U.S. Navy ships in about a year, following a series of Chinese military drills around the island. A Reuters report Saturday also cited U.S. officials as saying that Washington is considering a new operation to send warships through the Taiwan Strait, a mission aimed at ensuring free passage through the strategic waterway but which risks heightening tension with China.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 21, 2018 10:07 UTC