Just days before a high-stakes meeting of Canadian officials with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Ottawa, a Canadian frigate defied Beijing’s explicit warnings and sailed directly through the Taiwan Strait.
The Halifax-class frigate HMCS Charlottetown pulled off the transit in a rare solo run, without American or other accompanying vessels, bypassing the usual joint patrols with allied nations.
According to a delayed statement from Canada's Department of National Defense spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin: "On May 22, 2026, HMCS Charlottetown conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait, which was completed on May 23, 2026."
The provocative maritime maneuver took place just as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi touched down in Canada for the rare three-day visit - which was the first by a Chinese foreign minister in a decade.
Ottawa and Beijing have been actively trying to patch up relations. Prime Minister Mark Carney's "new strategic partnership" formed with China early this year has been heralded as a pragmatic reset in Canada-China relations after years of tensions.
Canada is aiming at diversifying its trade amid US tariffs under Trump - including increased bilateral trade, agricultural agreements, currency swaps and energy exports - but while trying to still maintain the relationship with Taiwan, which the CCP views as a violation of their "One China" policy.
And yet, Beijing's economic carrot comes with some obvious geopolitical strings. Just last month, China's ambassador to Canada, Wang Di, warned that the newly minted partnership would be severely harmed if Ottawa kept sending military assets through the strait or allowed parliamentarians to play diplomat in Taiwan.
Clearly Ottawa is refusing to bow to Beijing's maritime definitions. Here's what Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong - who recently ignored Beijing's warnings to meet with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, had to say:
"I think the government had to signal that it wasn’t going to comply with Beijing’s unreasonable demand," Chong said.
Canadian MPs and senators have long visited Taiwan, including numerous meetings with the president and foreign minister. But this year their trips to Taiwan have been cut short, with Canada showing a quiet willingness to "de-conflict" high-profile visits when they overlap with China diplomacy.
Taiwan's envoy to Ottawa recently warned that Canada's burgeoning attachment to China could put them in a vulnerable position and lead to "trade weaponization" by the CCP.