The United States and Taiwan have announced that a US guided-missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait.

The US Navy's 7th Fleet announced on Tuesday that the USS Sampson conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit earlier in the day. It said the transit through international waters was "in accordance with international law," and added that the move demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Taiwan's defense ministry also said a US destroyer had sailed through the Taiwan Strait from south to north.

According to the US 7th Fleet, the Sampson is part of a US Navy strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

The group had been engaged in a joint exercise with Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Philippine Sea and the East China Sea until last week.

US warships have been confirmed sailing through the strait about once a month since the latter half of the term of former US President Donald Trump.

Observers say the announcements by the US and Taiwan are aimed at demonstrating to China that the US military is maintaining its presence in the Indo-Pacific region even amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, China's military condemned the move on Wednesday.

The Eastern Theater Command of China's People's Liberation Army said in a statement, "The US has been frequently carrying out provocative acts to send wrong signals to 'Taiwan Independence' forces, deliberately undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. China is firmly opposed to this."