A Canadian warship has completed a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait, just days before Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Canada for a pivotal three-day diplomatic visit.
HMCS Charlottetown initiated its transit on May 22 and completed the passage by May 23, the Canadian Department of National Defence told Reuters on Friday. This deployment was conducted independently by the Canadian warship, without the accompaniment of allied vessels.
The timing of the transit is exceptionally sensitive. Wang Yi is expected to arrive in the Canadian capital on the evening of May 28, marking his first official visit to the country in a decade.
The naval maneuver directly challenges Beijing’s rhetoric of sovereignty over the strategic waterway and democratically governed Taiwan, a claim that Taipei rejects.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Wang Di said that the newly resumed "strategic partnership" between Ottawa and Beijing—which had just been restarted in January 2026 by Prime Minister Mark Carney—would be "damaged" if Canada continued to allow politicians to visit Taiwan or sent more military vessels through the Taiwan Strait.
Carney issued a joint statement with Chinese leadership announcing the establishment of a "Canada-China New Strategic Partnership" during his visit to China, and signed the Canada-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Roadmap—with the aim of unlocking nearly 3 billion Canadian dollars in export orders for Canada.
Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty reiterated to The Globe and Mail that Canada views the Taiwan Strait as "international waters." Legally anchored in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, this status grants transit passage rights, meaning warships and commercial vessels alike can legally pass through without coastal state approval.
It marked the Canadian naval vessel's second time transiting since current Prime Minister Mark Carney took office; such transits happened 11 times between 2018 and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s departure from office last year.
The transit infuriated China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday it firmly opposes any attempt by any country to undermine its sovereignty and security "under the pretext of freedom of navigation."
"The Taiwan Strait is an international waterway, and all countries enjoy the right of freedom of navigation," Taiwan's defence ministry told Reuters.
The ministry said it "closely monitors relevant developments through joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mechanisms, but does not proactively disclose the movements of military vessels from allied nations."