Chinese aircraft carrier crosses the Taiwan Strait

The Chinese aircraft carrier “Shandong” and two other ships crossed the Strait of taiwanwhich, according to one expert, constitutes a show of force by Beijing in this area that separates the island from the mainland.

“A flotilla of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, led by the aircraft carrier “Shandong”, crossed the Taiwan Strait around noon” on Saturday, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The ships sailed “west of the median line, in a northerly direction”, the statement added, referring to the unofficial border in the middle of the strait.

China does not recognize that invisible border drawn unilaterally by the United States during the Cold War.

Taiwan constantly monitors the presence of Chinese warships and makes almost a daily announcement.

However, the passage of the Shandong through the Strait of taiwan180 kilometers wide and separating the island from the Asian mainland, is unusual.

Taiwan Armed Forces “They have monitored the situation and tasked (civil air patrol) planes, navy ships and ground-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” stated the ministry.

Relations between China and Taiwan, at their lowest point since President Xi Jinping came to power in Beijing more than 10 years ago, have deteriorated further recently.

China has intensified its military incursions around the island.

show of force

Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense “detected [el sábado] at six in the morning” 33 war planes and 10 ships. The day before, 11 vessels were near Taiwanese waters.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to retake control of the autonomous island one day.

According to Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China institute at the University of London, the passage of the aircraft carrier “shandong” in the Taiwan Strait is “very unusual”.

“But the Chinese have tried to demonstrate their military might around Taiwan in the last six months or in the last year.”he explained to AFP.

Shandong’s presence in the strait is part of this “general context”he assured.

The last time the Taiwanese authorities detected the presence of the Chinese aircraft carrier in the strait was in March 2022.

The ship had been deployed in that area before a telephone conversation between Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Joe Biden.

This Saturday’s show of force comes just over a month after Beijing’s military maneuvers around the island.

During the exercises, China simulated shelling and a “siege” of three days to the insular territory.

On the last day, Taiwanese authorities detected 12 Chinese warships and 91 aircraft around the island.

Fighter jets were also deployed from the aircraft carrier Shandong and crossed the median line, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said at the time.

The Chinese military maneuvers took place a few days after the meeting between the Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen and the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.

Source: AFP