2 US destroyers sail into Taiwan Strait

aTAIPEI: Two United States warships entered the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, the Taiwanese government said, at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.

The destroyers USS Mustin and USS Benfold sailed into the narrow waterway separating Taiwan and China on Saturday morning and were expected to continue on a northeast course, Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement.

"The military is monitoring the situation in neighbouring areas, and has the confidence and abilities to maintain regional stability and defend national security," the statement added. A defence ministry official told AFP the ships were still in the strait on Saturday night, sailing in what he described as international waters.