New Zealand needs to get itself a navy, so this is a good sign; in a move designed to remind China that Taiwan is not on its own, NZ, Japan and Australia have sailed through the Taiwan Strait. This is significant as Japan usually avoids the route, to avoid any confrontation.
History buffs will also be aware that this draws old allies together; in the First World War the three fought together and their ships served alongside one another.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/26/japan-sends-warship-through-taiwan-strait-for-first-time
Japan has sent a destroyer through the Taiwan Strait for the first time, Japanese media reported, amid increasing military activity around Japan by China.
The Sazanami entered the strait from the East China Sea on Wednesday morning, spending more than 10 hours sailing south to complete the passage, public broadcaster NHK and the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported on Thursday.
The passage was conducted with naval ships from Australia and New Zealand ahead of planned drills in the disputed South China Sea, the reports said.
The Chinese military was on “high alert” on Thursday and China said it had lodged a complaint with Japan.
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