Earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had spotted the same Chinese aircraft carrier group sailing through waters off its east coast in the direction of Yonaguni, Japan’s southernmost island, which is about 110km east of Taiwan.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, has been staging regular exercises around the island for five years to pressure it to accept Beijing’s claim of sovereignty, despite Taipei’s strong objections.
The ministry said the Chinese ships, led by Liaoning, the oldest of China’s three aircraft carriers, were spotted in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday sailing through waters to the northeast of Taiwan.
Taiwan tracked the ships and sent its forces to monitor, it said. China’s defence ministry did not answer calls seeking comment.Â
Source: CNA
