China says US hyped sailing of Navy warship in Taiwan Strait

BEIJING (AP) — China has protested against the sailing of a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer through the Taiwan Strait, accusing the American side of hyping the maneuver. The Navy’s Japan-based 7th Fleet had said that the passing of the USS Sampson through the 100-mile-wide waterway between Taiwan and China on Tuesday “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.” Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a Chinese military spokesperson, said Wednesday the U.S. had “publicly hyped” the move. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and threatens to use force to prevent the self-governing island from declaring formal independence.