The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command mobilized its air and naval forces to monitor the passage of United States and Canadian warships through the Taiwan Straits on Tuesday, the command's spokesman said.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi said in a brief statement on Wednesday that the USS Higgins, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer from the U.S. Seventh Fleet's Destroyer Squadron 15, and the HMCS Vancouver, a Halifax-class frigate in the Royal Canadian Navy, transited through the Straits and that the act was sensationalized.

Aircraft and naval ships of the PLA Eastern Theater Command closely monitored the passage and stayed on alert, he said.

The spokesman said his command is ready to respond to any provocation or threat and will firmly safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.