Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan (File photo: Xinhua)

Senior Colonel Xu Chenghua, spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command: From 4:02 to 17:50 on April 17, the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi transited the Taiwan Strait, sending wrong signals to “Taiwan independence”separatist forces. The PLA Eastern Theater Command (ETC) deployed naval and air assets to track and monitor the vessel throughout the process, ensuring an effective control of the situation. Forces of the ETC will remain on high alert at all times, and resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability.