A ship sails in the Taiwan Strait, seen from Pingtan Island, the closest island to Taiwan, in southeastern China’s Fujian Province, April 8, 2023. On the same day, China launched military exercises around Taiwan in what it described as a “stern warning” to the self-governing island’s government after its president met with the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
Greg Baker | AFP | Getty Images
Taiwan’s defense ministry said the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, accompanied by two other ships, in the latest escalation of military tensions over the islands that Beijing claims as its own.
The Shandong, which entered service in 2019, sailed north across the strait around noon and held fast to the center line, an unofficial barrier between the two sides, the ministry said.
Taiwan’s military said in a brief statement that it used its own ships and aircraft to closely monitor the group and “respond appropriately.”
China’s Defense Ministry did not respond to calls seeking comment, and the Chinese military did not mention the voyage on its official social media channels.
The Shandong ship took part in Chinese military exercises near Taiwan last month, operating in the Western Pacific.
Last March, the Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait, hours before talks between the presidents of China and the United States.
After officially ending the military exercises last month, China continued to conduct smaller military activities around Taiwan.
Taiwan’s defense ministry also said on Saturday that eight Chinese fighter jets had crossed the center line of the strait in the past 24 hours, an activity that Chinese warplanes have been conducting regularly since military exercises earlier in August last year.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
The government of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen strongly rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty and says only the people of Taiwan can determine their future.