China’s Soviet-built ‘Liaoning’ aircraft carrier led warships through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, while returning from exercises in the South China Sea. Although Taiwan’s Defense Ministry stated that the carrier was not trespassing in the country’s territorial waters, it confirmed that it did enter its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the southwest.
In response, the Taiwanese military quickly deployed jets and navy ships to follow the Chinese boats as they traveled through the narrow body of water which lies between Taiwan and China, Defense Ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi said, as cited by Reuters.
Responding to China’s movements, Taiwan’s top policymaker for China affairs urged Beijing to resume dialogue with Taipei, after official communication channels were shut down by China in June.
„I want to emphasize our government has sufficient capability to protect our national security. It’s not necessary to overly panic,“ Chang Hsiao-yueh, minister for Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said during a news briefing.
„On the other hand, any threats would not benefit cross-Strait ties,“ she said. China’s Wednesday movements have led many to read the act as a statement that Beijing will back up its territorial claims to Taiwan with military means, if necessary.
