Shanghai - China's military said on Wednesday that it had monitored and warned the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal that had sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait. US Navy said its 7th Fleet had conducted a "routine" Taiwan Strait transit through international waters "in accordance with international law" on Tuesday.

The United States said it has been carrying out such voyages about once a month, angering China, which views them as a sign of support for Taiwan, the democratically governed island that Beijing claims as Chinese territory.

The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement that its forces had monitored the ship throughout and "warned" it.

"The United States frequently stages such dramas and provokes trouble, sending wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces, and deliberately intensifying tensions across the Taiwan Strait," it added.

The United States, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is its most important international supporter and arms supplier, making it a constant source of tension between the two nations.
-Reuters