Commentary Beijing condemned the United States over the weekend for its supposedly provocative actions. Last week, the U.S. Navy, along with its Canadian allies, moved an Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer in a Freedom of Navigation patrol through the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from mainland China. While most of the world is concerned over the Chinese regime’s hypersonic flights, there are important matters happening that speak to a longstanding body of international law that has been codified and adopted by the United States. The Freedom of Navigation patrols seem dangerous and provocative, but they are important deterrents against aggression from the Chinese regime. The commitment to international law is undermined as Beijing’s reaction to those patrols reveals its aggressive and duplicitous rhetoric. The Freedom of Navigation patrols are a part of international law governing the movement of ships in international waters. The key principle is international and not territorial …