(CNN) The US Navy sailed two destroyers, the USS Stethem and USS William P. Lawrence, through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, referring to the operation as a "routine" transit.

"The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," Cdr. Clay Doss, a spokesman for the Navy's Seventh Fleet told CNN in a statement.

"The US Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows," he added.

While Chinese vessels shadowed the US warships during the transit, officials said that all interactions were "safe and professional."

The Trump administration has sought to make the Taiwan Strait transits more routine, with the operations now taking place on a monthly basis. Prior to July, the transits occurred only about once a year.

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