China paper calls U.S. warships' passage through Taiwan Strait a 'psychological game'

Chinese state-run media on Monday blasted the U.S. Navy's dispatch of two warships through the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, calling the move a "psychological game" as tensions between Washington and Beijing grow over trade and relations with Taipei.

The Global Times newspaper, known for its nationalistic stance, said in an editorial that the U.S. was "sending political signals by sending warships through the Taiwan Strait."

The two warships, the guided-missile destroyers USS Mustin and USS Benfold, which are both home-ported at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, passed through the 160-kilometer-wide (100-mile-wide) strait Saturday and were the first to do so since July last year.