Military on high alert over U.S. vessel in Taiwan Straits

The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command will remain on high alert after the United States' guided missile destroyer USS Barry sailed through the Taiwan Straits on Friday.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the theater command, said in a statement on Saturday that the theater command has dispatched units to monitor the U.S. transit through the strategic waterways.

"The U.S.' frequent provocations of this kind sufficiently show that it is the destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, and a security risk creator in the region," he said, adding that the theater command will remain on high alert and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and peace and stability in the region.