Taipei: Despite being a "routine" transit, the USS Milius made its way through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, according to the US Navy, just days after China had finished its most recent war exercises near the island.
China, which regards Taiwan as its own territory, put an official end to its three days of drills last Monday where it practised blocking the island and conducting precision strikes.
The drills were organised as a form of protest against Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
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The Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius, according to the US Navy's 7th Fleet, made a "routine Taiwan Strait transit" through waters "where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law."
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The passage of the ship demonstrates American support for an open and free Indo-Pacific, it was added.