The US destroyer "Milios" sailed through the waters separating Taiwan and mainland China, according to the US Navy , days after Beijing conducted military exercises around the self-ruled island.

Many Western navies, led by the US, regularly conduct "freedom of navigation operations" to confirm the international status of regional waterways such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

A statement from the US Navy's Seventh Fleet said the warship conducted a "routine transit of the Taiwan Strait" on Sunday, in waters "where freedom of navigation and overflight on the high seas applies under international law."

"The ship crossed a passage in the strait that is outside the territorial waters of any littoral country," the navy statement added, stressing that sailing through the strait shows the United States' commitment to a free and open Asia-Pacific region.

This is the first operation of its kind for the United States in this corridor since January.

And the Seventh Fleet in the US Navy posted on Twitter, Monday, pictures of crew members looking at the Taiwan Strait, which is one of the most important international waterways.

For its part, China said Monday that it had followed the passage of a US destroyer in the Taiwan Strait, adding that its forces remained "at a high level of alert."

"Our forces will always remain at a high level of alert and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability," said Chinese army spokesman Colonel Shi Yi.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to return the self-governing island to its sovereignty one day, by force if necessary.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Monday that during the transit of the destroyer, "the military closely monitored the activity in our sea and air surroundings, and the situation was normal."

On April 8, Beijing conducted three days of military exercises around Taiwan, which included simulated targeted strikes and the imposition of a blockade on the island.

Beijing's military maneuvers around Taiwan were conducted in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's recent visit to the United States, where she was received by US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Beijing expresses its dissatisfaction with any official contact between Taipei and foreign governments.

On the last day of the exercises held last week, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said 54 Chinese aircraft crossed the southwest and southeast of the Air Defense Identification Area (ADIS), the highest rate recorded in a single day since October 2021.

On the same day, Milius sailed through waters claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea, an operation that Beijing described as an illegal incursion carried out "without the consent of the Chinese government".

Since the end of the exercises, Chinese warships and aircraft continue to be present in the vicinity of Taiwan.

And Monday, the Ministry of Defense in Taipei announced that it had spotted four destroyers and 18 aircraft, four of which crossed southwest of the "Adis" region.

The US destroyer Chung-Hun sailed through the Taiwan Strait on January 5, months after a visit to the island by Nancy Pelosi when she was Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Pelosi's trip triggered China's largest ever military exercise around Taiwan.