China deploys aircraft carrier Shandong in exercise near Taiwan

China reported that it has deployed its aircraft carrier Shandong for a military exercise that began over the weekend near Taiwan in response to a meeting between the island’s leader, Tsai Ing-wen, and the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.

As reported by Kyodo NewsAs part of the three-day air and sea exercise around the island, the Chinese military carried out a series of simulated attacks against key targets in Taiwan and its surrounding waters. The Shandong aircraft carrier group hosted sorties of J-15 fighters, according to Chinese state media.

Rising tensions on both sides of the straits following talks in California on Wednesday between Taiwan’s president and the third-highest-ranking US official have caused concern in the region, with Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, He said on Monday that Tokyo would “monitor the situation very carefully.”

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Last August, China conducted large-scale military drills in areas surrounding Taiwan following a trip there by McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, who became the first US House speaker in 25 years to visit. the island.

The Shandong, commissioned in 2019, is China’s second aircraft carrier. Beijing apparently intends to deploy an aircraft carrier for maritime blockade operations during contingencies to deter US military intervention.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said a total of 59 Chinese military aircraft and 11 ships were detected around the island, with 39 aircraft crossing the median line of the strait – a border both sides had respected for decades – and entering the area. Taiwan Air Defense Identification Card.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference that the biggest threat to peace and stability on both sides of the strait is the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and the collusion and support of external forces. to them, in reference to the Tsai-McCarthy meeting.

“We hope the international community can clearly see the essence of the Taiwan issue, stay committed to the one-China principle, and firmly oppose all forms of Taiwanese separatist separatist activities,” he added.