Royal Australian Navy vessels regularly transit through the strait using established international shipping lanes,the sources said.

The Department of Defence declined to comment.

Malcolm Davis,a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute,said:“This sends a message to China that we will not allow them to claim their Taiwan Strait as their waters... It shows that we won’t be cowed from promoting international law.”

He said it was notable the event had been publicised by Taiwan following the sonar incident.

Former army general Mick Ryan said the transit was likely planned well in advance but that it demonstrated to Beijing that Australia was determined to protect international shipping lanes and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“The Australian Navy does transits like this to make clear that we will not be intimidated from operating in international waters,” he said.

Beijing claims that it exercises sovereign rights over the Taiwan Strait,which separates mainland China from Taiwan,while the United Nations,Australia,Japan and other nations insist it is an international waterway under international law.

The Taiwan Strait has been the site of increasingly intense military activity over recent years as the People’s Republic of China ramps up operations near Taiwan,which it claims as Chinese territory but has never controlled.

The state-ownedChina Daily responded to the recent sonar incident by saying:“The Chinese military is strictly disciplined and always operates professionally in accordance with international law and international common practices.

“The Australian side should stop making trouble in front of China’s doorstep and work with China to preserve the momentum of improving bilateral ties.“

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