The US military scaled back the frequency of its Taiwan Strait transits last year and kept a low profile during them, even as “Five Eyes” allies stepped up their passage, according to a report by a leading Chinese think tank.Australia, Canada, Britain and New Zealand – the other countries in the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance – deployed six warships to carry out five Taiwan Strait transits in all, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) said in its report released on Tuesday. All the passages were accompanied by official public statements, the report noted.The “notable rise” in transits by non-US extra-regional countries began in 2024, it said, with growing involvement by European and Oceanic countries compared with the previously dominant United States and Canada.Hu Bo, director of the think tank, said such transits did not pose a direct military threat to mainland China, but were increasingly politicised.01:50Chinese fighter jet flies close to Philippine plane over disputed shoal in South China Sea, Manila says“A military vessel transiting the Taiwan Strait is actually at a tactical disadvantage because the strait’s hydrographic conditions are not favourable for large warships,” Hu said during a press conference in Beijing to mark the report’s release.