The U.S. destroyer USS Ralph Johnson's sailing through the Taiwan Straits was "dangerous" and sent a wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatists, said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command on Saturday.

The PLA monitored and tracked the U.S. destroyer as it transited through the Taiwan Straits on Thursday, said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, the spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command.

He condemned the move by the U.S. side as a "provocative" act.

The PLA theater command remains on high alert and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability, Shi said.

The U.S. Navy made a similar passage last month, which the PLA blasted as a "hypocritical and futile" attempt by the U.S. to support "Taiwan independence" separatists.

(Cover: File photo of PLA Navy ships conducting supply operations at an unspecified location in February 2019. /Xinhua)