Trump Sends US Warship to China's Coast

An American warship sailed through a narrow sea corridor between China and Taiwan on Wednesday, Newsweek has learned, in a subtle show of force by the Trump administration amid geopolitical and trade tensions with Beijing.

The USS William P. Lawrence, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit April 23 (local time) through waters where freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law," a spokesperson for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command told Newsweek in an email.

Why It Matters

Beijing says self-ruled Taiwan is part of Chinese territory, a position the island's government—and a large majority of its citizens—reject. The United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei but is its main arms supplier.

Washington officially takes no position on sovereignty over Taiwan and acknowledges—without recognizing—Beijing's claim. The U.S. has repeatedly said it opposes unilateral changes to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, at a time when China has been ramping up military activities there, including through large-scale drills simulating a blockade.

What To Know

The William P. Lawrence's passage was partially visible on vessel-tracking platforms including MarineTraffic.

"The ship transited through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state," the INDOPACOM spokesperson said. "William P. Lawrence's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle."

In a statement released Thursday, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said it had dispatched naval and air forces to monitor the American ship's movements. An accompanying video showed a Chinese navy sailor watching the William P. Lawrence from its starboard side.

Taipei is yet to officially acknowledge the incident. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it had "no relevant information" to provide at the time.

Taipei said it had detected 19 Chinese warplanes and seven Chinese warships operating around Taiwan in the 24 hours leading up to 6 a.m. local time Thursday. The Chinese military presence did not appear larger than usual.

Also at the time of the transit, a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone—operating out of Guam's Anderson Air Force Base—was loitering south of the Taiwan Strait, according to data recorded by aircraft-tracking service Flightradar24.

April 23 is China's Navy Day. The PLA is celebrating the service's 76th anniversary.

This marks the second known transit by a U.S. warship in President Donald Trump's second term and the first since early February, when the USS Ralph Johnson and noncommissioned oceanographic survey ship the USNS Bowditch sailed through the contested waterway.

Under international maritime law, waters outside China's and Taiwan's territorial zones, which typically extend up to 12 nautical miles from the shoreline, are open for navigation, including by military vessels. Beijing disagrees and asserts a sovereign right over the Taiwan Strait via its territorial claim to Taiwan.

Japan and Canada sent warships through the strait in February, moves that openly rejected the Chinese claim. The two nations joined a growing list of U.S. allies showing support for freedom of navigation in the waters.

What People Are Saying

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command told Newsweek: "The international community's navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited. The United States rejects any assertion of sovereignty or jurisdiction that is inconsistent with freedoms of navigation, overflight, and other lawful uses of the sea and air."

The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said in a statement: "The U.S. remarks contradict right and wrong, distort legal principles, mislead the public, and confuse international understandings. We warn the U.S. to stop distorting and sensationalize, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

What Happens Next

The U.S. and China are locked in a strategic competition that is manifesting in a full-blown trade war. During Trump's first presidency, the Pentagon approved monthly Taiwan Strait transits—the trend is likely to continue.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top Trump officials have expressed concerns that Chinese President Xi Jinping will order a military offensive against Taiwan before the end of the decade.

Update 4/24/25, 4:28 a.m. ET: This developing story was updated with more information.