A Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Friday, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said, just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk.
China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and has over the past two years stepped up its military activity near the island to assert its sovereignty claims, alarming Taipei and Washington.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter, who was not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the carrier Shandong sailed close to the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen, which sits directly opposite the Chinese city of Xiamen.
“Around 10:30 a.m. the CV-17 appeared around 30 nautical miles to the southwest of Kinmen, and was photographed by a passenger on a civilian flight,” the source said, referring to the Shandong’s official service number.
The USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer, shadowed the carrier at least partly on its route. The Shandong did not have aircraft on its deck and sailed north through the strait, the source added.
Taiwan also sent warships to keep an eye on the situation, the source said.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry, in a brief statement, confirmed the passage of the Shandong but gave no details other than to say its forces have a “full grasp” of what China’s ships and aircraft do in the Taiwan Strait.
U.S. Navy spokesperson Lt. Mark Langford said the Ralph Johnson had “conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit March 17 (local time) through international waters in accordance with international law”. He did not elaborate.
Chinese Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian referred questions to the Defence Ministry – which did not respond to a request for comment – but said the Shandong has a “routine training schedule”.
“We should not associate this with the communication between the heads of state of China and the United States. You may think it is too sensitive. What is sensitive is you, not the Taiwan Strait,” Zhao told reporters in Beijing.
