Taiwan scrambled jets Wednesday as China’s sole aircraft carrier led Chinese warships through the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions between the mainland and self-governing island it claims as its own territory, a U.S. defense official confirmed to Fox News.
(FOX)- It was the second time China sailed the aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, through the strait in the past few weeks.
The carrier was traveling northwest along the center line dividing the strait, along with its battle group.
It came a few days after China flew another nuclear-capable H-6 bomber down to a set of contested islands in a show of force. The bomber flew around the Spratly Islands on Sunday.
Taiwan’s military was closely monitoring the ships’ passage and urged the public not to be alarmed.
Taiwan regularly dispatches planes and ships to keep a watchful eye on Chinese forces’ movements around the island, although the military gave no details about its specific response.
The heavily trafficked 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait separates Taiwan from southeastern China. The carrier was on its way back from its first journey to the Western Pacific, where it carried out a training exercise, Reuters reported.