Asian tensions: China deploys warships near Taiwan ahead of Tsai Ing-wen meeting with Kevin McCarthy

Official media reported on Thursday that the Chinese Navy fleet, led by the aircraft carrier Shandong, sailed near Taiwan on its way to the eastern Pacific Ocean, where it is to conduct exercises.

The passage of the ships was recorded about 400 kilometers south of the island on Wednesday, hours before the President TaiwanTsai Ing-wen, meet in Los Angeles with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, meeting strongly rejected China.

According to a statement from the Taiwan Ministry of Defense, the Shandong was discovered while passing through the Bashi Canal, the section separating Taiwan The Philippines is in transit to the Eastern Pacific, where it was scheduled to begin its first long-range maneuvers on Wednesday.

“Shandong” – the second aircraft carrier China – the first domestic production – and has been in operation since 2022.

The War Department also condemned the “special patrol operation” announced this week by the Chinese army in the waters of the Formosa Strait, which it described as “attempts to intimidate Taiwan and destabilize regional peace and the status quo, behavior inappropriate for a modern and responsible country,” the official news agency said. CNA.

It is currently unknown if the deployment of the aircraft carrier is part of said operation, which began early Wednesday morning and whose duration was also not specified.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense Taiwan reported the discovery of three warships and a helicopter that crossed the air defense identification zone of the island.

“The military is monitoring the situation and has tasked air patrol combat aircraft, naval ships and ground-based missile systems to respond to these actions,” the statement said.

Tensions between the US and China

The Chinese military deployment comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Beijing over Tsai’s stopover in the United States for her trip to Central America and a meeting she had with House Speaker Kevin yesterday Wednesday. McCarthy.

China today denounced the said magnitude and actions, accused Washington of “colluding” with the island and said it would respond with “strong and effective measures to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

For its part, the US asked the Asian nation to “not overreact” to the meeting and insisted that the Taiwanese president’s passage through their territory was a “stopover” on her trip to Central America, White House press secretary Karin said. Gin. -Pierre.

The situation is reminiscent of what happened last August, when a visit to Taiwan The then speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, angered Beijing, calling it a “sham” and “an unfortunate betrayal.”

In reply, China imposed sanctions on Pelosi, suspended dialogue with the United States on a number of important issues and placed in the Strait Taiwan military maneuvers of an intensity unprecedented in recent decades.

The island is one of the biggest sources of conflict between China and the United States, largely due to the fact that Washington is the main supplier of weapons to Taiwan and would be his greatest military ally in the event of a war with China.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwanwhich he considers a rebel province since the Kuomintang nationalists withdrew from there in 1949 after losing a civil war against the communist army.

(EFE)

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