According to reports from Taipei, three Chinese ships have crossed the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwan Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that the aircraft carrier Shandong is among them. The three ships were said to have passed the Taiwan Strait “west of the centerline north”.
The passage of the Shandong through the 180-kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait is rare. Taiwan’s armed forces “have been monitoring the situation and have directed (civil air patrol) aircraft, naval vessels and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” the ministry said.
Tense relationship
Relations between China and Taiwan are currently extremely tense. China held a large-scale military exercise dubbed the “United Sword” around Taiwan last month. The Chinese units simulated attacks on “key targets” in Taiwan and practiced a blockade of the island. With the military exercises, Beijing responded to a visit to the United States by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
Beijing regards democratic and self-governing Taiwan as a breakaway region that wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary by military force.
Source: Krone
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