Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH341) sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the first for a U.S. allied warship in 2025.
Ottawa’s transit comes four days after destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) and survey ship USNS Bowditch (T-AGS-62) carried out their own Taiwan Strait transit. Canada has not issued any statement on the transit. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) issued a short release saying Ottawa sailed from south to north through the strait and during the transit, Taiwan’s armed forces had maintained full control over the surrounding sea and airspace and the situation remained normal.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, which has operational responsibility over the Taiwan Strait, issued a statement denouncing the transit. Senior Capt. Li Xi, spokesperson for the command said Ottawa sailed through the strait on Sunday and attempted to generate public attention. Li also stated that the command organized naval and air forces to monitor and guard the Canadian ship’s passage and effectively responded to and dealt with the situation, he added that Canada’s actions “deliberately disturbed the situation and undermined the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. The theater troops are always on high alert and resolutely counter all threats and provocations.”
Taiwan’s MND reported on Monday that from 6 a.m Sunday to 6 a.m Monday, a total of 41 PLA aircraft and 9 People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships were detected operating around Taiwan with the map of aircraft locations showing that 22 aircraft and Unmanned Aerial vehicles operated over the Taiwan Strait during Ottawa’s passage and that 10 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the strait. The previous 24-hour period running from Saturday to Sunday only saw four PLA aircraft and eight PLAN ships operating around Taiwan.
The MND said on Monday referring to the PLA’s recent “joint combat readiness patrols” on the pretext that ships from the United States, Canada and other countries are passing through the Taiwan Strait. The MND said the Taiwan Strait is by no means within the scope of China’s sovereignty and that the free navigation of friendly allies in the Taiwan Strait is a concrete action that highlights the legal status of the Taiwan Strait, “The PLA’s use of various military operations to intimidate Taiwan and neighboring countries and its warmongering mentality are sufficient to prove that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is the only and biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,”, read the release.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a release on the transit on Sunday stating that it welcomes and appreciates Canada’s concrete actions to defend the freedom, peace and openness of the Taiwan Strait and its firm stance that the Taiwan Strait is international waters.
The release also noted that this is the first time this year that a Canadian warship has crossed the Taiwan Strait and also the sixth time that Canada has sent warships to sail through the Taiwan Strait since the release of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy in November 2022, “continuing to demonstrate Canada’s firm determination to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait through concrete actions.”, read the release.
The last Taiwan Strait transit by Canada was conducted on Oct. 20, 2024, when HMCS Vancouver (FFH-331) sailed together with destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76) through the strait.
Ottawa departed last year on Oct. 16 for an Indo-Pacific deployment with the frigate having conducted several drills with partner nations and port visits to countries in the region though the frigate’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Adriano Lozer, was relieved of command due to a loss of confidence, according to a RCN statement on Feb.7/
“Vice Adm. Angus Topshee, Commander Royal Canadian Navy, has relieved Cmdr. Adriano Lozer of his duties as commanding officer of HMCS Ottawa, currently deployed on Operation HORIZON, due to loss of confidence. This measure was deemed necessary to ensure effective leadership in HMCS Ottawa as it continues its deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The incidents that gave rise to this decision do not concern any form of misconduct,” read the statement,
Cmdr. Landon Creasy, former commander of HMCS Regina (FFH-334), will assume command and will continue Ottawa’s deployment until the ship returns home in late March
Prior to Sunday’s transit, Ottawa carried out the 7th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) with the Philippines and United States on Feb. 12 in the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone. An Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) release stated that the AFP deployed offshore patrol vessel BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS17), Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft, and Philippine Air Force Search and Rescue assets while the United States was involved in the planning and pre-sail conference, as well as monitoring the activity.
The PLA Southern Theater Command issued a statement that the command had organized routine patrols on that date and denounced the Philippines for repeatedly trying “to attract countries outside the region to organize so-called ‘joint cruises’ in an attempt to cover up the fact that it has illegally violated China’s maritime rights and interests and deliberately undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea through military provocations and public opinion clamor.”
