TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — One U.S. Navy and one Canadian Navy ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait Saturday (June 3), according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The timing of the passage coincided with the June 2-4 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where senior government officials, including U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, were discussing Asian defense issues.

The US 7th Fleet issued a statement saying the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and the frigate HMCS Montreal were passing through the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international laws concerning open seas.

The MND later confirmed that the vessels had been sailing from south to north, the Liberty Times reported. The military said it was closely monitoring all movement in the seas and skies around Taiwan, and that the situation was normal.

Earlier Saturday, the MND reported that nine Chinese military aircraft and six Chinese naval vessels had been spotted around the country, an almost daily occurrence since late 2020.