[theold]

The navy’s tanker HMNZS Aotearoa has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a flashpoint for potential conflict with China, in a rare military exercise.

Defence Minister Judith Collins confirmed Aotearoa sailed through the 180km wide strait on Wednesday, alongside the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney, exercising the right to freedom of navigation.

The Taiwan Strait separates China from the island nation of Taiwan, which Beijing claims sovereignty over and has threatened to annex by military force. Military vessels passing through the contested strait are at times confronted and harassed by China’s military.

https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/35043...wan-strait