A file photo of the Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Toowoomba. | Photo credit: Reuters
An Australian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a government source said on Sunday (Feb 22, 2026), in the latest transit of the sensitive waterway by the US ally, which Chinese state-backed media said was tracked and monitored by the country’s military.
In addition to claiming sovereignty over democratically-governed Taiwan, Beijing views the narrow, highly strategic strait as Chinese territorial waters and has on occasion responded aggressively to foreign navies sailing there.
Toowoomba, an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy, “conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait” on Friday (February 20, 2026) and Saturday (February 21, 2026). The source said.
“All interactions with foreign ships and aircraft are safe and professional,” the source said.
Chinese state support Global Times The newspaper, citing an unnamed Chinese military source, reported late Saturday that “the Chinese People’s Liberation Army conducted full-process tracking, monitoring and warning operations throughout the tracking.”
US warships transit the strait every few months, angering Beijing, and some US allies such as France, Australia, Britain and Canada also occasionally ship.
China has increased its military presence around Taiwan and staged its latest war games around the island in late December.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their own future.
Published – February 22, 2026 08:39 am IST
