China confirms aircraft carrier sailed through Taiwan Strait

BEIJING (AFP) – China confirmed on Monday that its first domestically built aircraft carrier had sailed through the Taiwan Strait for ''routine'' training and tests after Taipei accused Beijing of intimidation around upcoming elections.

The ship, which has yet to be named, is Beijing's second carrier and will add massive firepower to its navy once it is officially put into service, as the country faces tensions with selfruled Taiwan and regional neighbors around the disputed South China Sea.

The carrier crossed the sensitive waters on Sunday before entering the South China Sea for ''scientific research tests and routine training,'' navy spokesman Cheng Dewei said on an official social media account.

Cheng said it was ''normal practice'' for carriers that are under testing to conduct cross-regional trials.

''It is not aimed at any specific target and has nothing to do with the current situation,'' Cheng said without elaborating.

The sail-by comes as Taiwan gears up for presidential elections in January.

Taipei's foreign minister Joseph Wu tweeted on Sunday that China ''intends to intervene in #Taiwan's elections,'' adding: ''Voters won't be intimidated!''

Taiwan's defense ministry said it had dispatched ships and planes to track and closely monitor the carrier's movements, and that US and Japanese vessels trailed it in the strait.

Eric Hundman, assistant professor of political science at NYU Shanghai, said that the sail-by was a ''continuation of Beijing's consistent efforts to pressure Taipei.''

''The choice to sail through the Taiwan Strait was undoubtedly deliberate and probably intended as a signal to both Taiwan and the US of China's increasing naval capabilities,'' he said.

The ''Type 001A'' carrier was launched in 2017 and sea trials began the following year, but it has yet to be officially put into service.