China's sole operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning (front), sailing with other ships during a drill at sea in April 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)
Japan and Taiwan said Tuesday that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy dispatched the Liaoning aircraft carrier group consisting of eight vessels into the West Pacific.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement (pdf) that eight Chinese naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier, passed between islands in Japan’s southern Okinawa chain on Monday.
The Liaoning and its five-ship strike group were first spotted approximately 350 kilometers (217 miles) southwest of Nagasaki prefecture’s Danjo islands on Sunday, according to the statement. Another destroyer and a frigate joined the flotilla late Sunday and early Monday.
Among the Chinese warships spotted by Japan’s military were the Type 055 large-guided missile destroyer Nanchang, the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Chengdu, and the Type 901 fast combat supply ship.
While there was no incursion into Japanese territorial waters, the ministry claimed that at least one warship landed within 160 kilometers (99 miles) of Taisho Islands near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China also claims and called the Diaoyu Islands, Japan Times reported.
The ministry stated that Japan had deployed the Izumo light aircraft carrier, P-1 maritime patrol aircraft, and P-3C anti-submarine aircraft to monitor the activities of the Chinese vessels.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said that it issued radio warnings and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the movements of the Chinese naval vessels.
The Liaoning carrier group, which consisted of eight warships, was believed to be “the largest to head out to far sea among recent voyages,” according to China’s state-run news agency Global Times.
Gao Xiucheng, a spokesperson of the PLA Navy, said Tuesday that the warships were on a routine combat training in the West Pacific. Gao claimed that the deployment was in line with international law and was not targeted at any party.
Tensions between self-ruled Taiwan and the regime in Beijing have been escalating, as China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to conquer the island by force if necessary.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/japan-and-taiwan-claim-china-sends-8-vessel-flotilla-to-pacific_4445132.html
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