Beijing sails aircraft carrier through Taiwan Strait

China sailed its aircraft carrier Shandong through the sensitive Taiwan Strait yesterday, shadowed by a US destroyer, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said, just hours before the Chinese and US 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.

The source, who was not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Shandong sailed close to the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen, which sits directly opposite the Chinese city of Xiamen, and was shadowed by a US warship.

“Around 10.30am 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, which 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 declined to comment.

The sailing happened about 12 hours before US President Joe Biden was due to speak to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

The source described the timing of the Shandong’s movement so close to that call as “provocative”.

China says Taiwan is the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the United States. Washington has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, but is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier.

The Shandong is China’s newest aircraft carrier, commissioned in 2019. China’s only other carrier, the Liaoning, is mostly used for training purposes.

Both ships have ventured close to Taiwan before.

In December 2019, shortly before presidential and parliamentary elections in Taiwan, the Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a move condemned by Taiwan as attempted intimidation.

Taiwan’s air force also scrambles aircraft almost daily to see off Chinese warplanes flying into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, mostly to the southwestern part of the strait at the top end of the South China Sea.

Taiwan calls this “grey zone” warfare activity, designed to both test its responses and wear out Taiwan’s air force.