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TAIPEI: Taiwan’s navy and air force deployed on Sunday (December 20) when a group of Chinese aircraft carriers led by the country’s newest aircraft carrier, the Shandong, sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, the day after an American warship will transit the same waterway.
While it is not the first time that Chinese carriers have passed close to Taiwan, it comes at a time of increased tension between Taipei and Beijing, which claims the democratically ruled island as its territory.
Taiwan has complained of repeated Chinese military activity, including the regular flight of Chinese air force jets near the island. China says those drills are aimed at protecting the country’s sovereignty.
READ: China launches a ‘gray zone’ war to subdue Taiwan
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the Shandong, which was formally commissioned almost exactly a year ago, accompanied by four warships, had set sail from the port of Dalian in north China on Thursday.
After passing through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the group of aircraft carriers continued heading south, he added.
China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China has previously said that such trips by its carriers through the strait are routine missions, often en route to exercises in the disputed South China Sea.
The Taiwanese ministry said that six warships and eight air force planes were sent to “stand guard” and monitor the movements of Chinese ships.
“With the support of the people, the national armed forces have the confidence and the ability to protect the homeland, guarantee national security and safeguard regional peace and stability,” he added.
On Saturday, a US warship crossed the Taiwan Strait, the 12th such mission of the US Navy this year.
China’s military said it followed the ship.
Beijing has been angered by increased US support for Taiwan, including the sale of new weapons and visits to Taipei by senior US officials, which has put already poor ties between China and the United States to the test.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is overseeing a renewal of the island’s army, launching new equipment such as stealth “carrier killer” corvettes.
