By Micah Jonah
February 22, 2026
An Australian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, marking the latest transit of the strategic waterway by a U.S. ally, a government source said. Chinese state-backed media reported that the vessel was tracked and monitored by the Chinese military.
Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan and considers the Taiwan Strait part of its territorial waters. The narrow strait is strategically important and has prompted aggressive responses from China to foreign naval transits in the past.
The Toowoomba, an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy, conducted the routine transit on Friday and Saturday as part of a Regional Presence Deployment in the Indo-Pacific. According to the source, all interactions with foreign ships and aircraft were safe and professional.
China’s Global Times newspaper cited an unnamed Chinese military source stating that the People’s Liberation Army carried out full-process tracking, monitoring, and alert operations throughout the transit.
The United States frequently sends warships through the strait, drawing strong reactions from Beijing. Some U.S. allies, including France, Australia, Britain, and Canada, have also conducted occasional transits. China has increased its military presence around Taiwan and held war games near the island in late December.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, maintaining that only the island’s people can determine their future.
