Tehran: China "respects" lawful navigation rights of all countries in the waters of the Taiwan Strait, the country's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated after a Japanese warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait last week.

According to Anadolu Agency, during a news conference in Beijing, Guo emphasized that while China acknowledges the lawful navigation rights of all nations in the Taiwan Strait, it strongly opposes any actions deemed provocative under the guise of 'freedom of navigation' that could threaten China's sovereignty and security.

The statement was a response to a query concerning Taiwan's claim that 46 Chinese military aircraft had crossed the Taiwan Strait in the past 24 hours, potentially linked to the Japanese warship's recent passage. The Japanese destroyer, the Takanami, traversed the Taiwan Strait following an incident where a Chinese fighter jet closely approached a Japanese patrol aircraft above the Pacific Ocean. This occurred shortly after Japan reported observing two Chinese aircraft carriers operating in the western Pacific for the first time.

Additionally, Taiwan's Defense Ministry announced on Friday the detection of 24 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft sorties around the island from 8.30 a.m. local time (0030GMT), with 15 aircraft reportedly crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait.