Facts

• US govt. officials denied on Wed. that Washington's stance toward Taiwan has changed, after facing criticism from Beijing over a State Department fact sheet that was updated last week to no longer explicitly state that it considers the island part of China.
• This comes after China's military said on Wed. that it had tracked and warned a US guided-missile cruiser in the Taiwan Strait, accusing the White House of showing support for "Taiwan secessionist forces."
• The USS Port Royal warship sailed through the waterway separating the island from mainland China, marking the second such transit in two weeks and the fifth so far this year.
• The US Navy's 7th Fleet described it as a "routine" transit through international waters "in accordance to international law."
• Taiwan's officials report that, also on Tues., a Chinese attack helicopter flew across the center of the median line. This is the first such crossing by a Chinese military aircraft since Sept. 2020.
• On Mon., the PLA's Eastern Theatre Command said it had carried out military exercises near Taiwan over the weekend. During the drills, several Chinese aircrafts reportedly entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone, but no shots were fired.