(CNN) The US Navy sailed a warship through the Taiwan Strait Friday, a move that comes amid heightened tensions with Beijing over trade.

"USS Green Bay (LPD 20) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Aug. 23 (local time) in accordance with international law," Cdr. Reann Mommsen, a spokesperson for the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, said in a statement.

CNN reported earlier this month that the Chinese government had denied requests for port visits to Hong Kong by the USS Green Bay and USS Lake Erie.

The USS Green Bay, an amphibious transport dock ship, was scheduled to visit Hong Kong on August 17.

The canceled port visit was announced amid ongoing protests in Hong Kong, which Beijing has accused the US of supporting, a notion denied by both protesters and the US government.

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