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The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command announced it is on high alert after the US guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn and oceanographic research vessel USS Mary Sears passed through the Taiwan Strait on January 16 and 17. The PLA deployed naval and air forces to monitor the US vessels.

Tensions rise as the US Navy's transits are viewed as provocations, coinciding with a recent trade deal with Taiwan that China opposes. Beijing maintains that any agreement with Taiwan involving sovereign implications is unacceptable. The US's military actions are seen as undermining regional stability and China's sovereignty.