Tensions in the Taiwan Strait continue to escalate as a Chinese aircraft carrier group, led by the Liaoning, has been detected moving towards the waters separating Taiwan and China. This comes on the heels of a live-fire exercise conducted by Beijing near Taiwan just a day earlier, further amplifying the already heightened military posturing in the region.
The Liaoning carrier group was spotted overnight in the waters near the Taipei-administered Pratas Islands, roughly 400 kilometres southwest of Taiwan. The group is currently heading northward towards the sensitive Taiwan Strait. The confirmation came from Taiwan’s defence ministry, who reported on social media platform X, “Chinese navy vessels led by the aircraft carrier Liaoning, sailed through waters near Dongsha (the Pratas Islands) and continued northward toward the Taiwan Strait.”
Taiwan’s military, the ministry assured, is “monitoring the situation and responding accordingly.”
The Liaoning’s presence in the region comes shortly after it participated in China’s large-scale military drills around Taiwan last week, which were met with condemnation from Taipei and its primary ally, Washington. These drills involved a record number of fighter jets and warships deployed by China to encircle Taiwan. Beijing cited the exercise as a “stern warning to the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces.”
Following the drills, China announced a live-fire exercise on Tuesday in an area approximately 105 kilometres from Taiwan.
Adding to the growing tension, a US and Canadian warship passed through the 180-kilometre Taiwan Strait over the weekend. These passages are seen as regular activities by Washington and its allies, reinforcing their claim that the strait is an international waterway. Beijing, however, condemned the passage, stating it disrupted “peace and stability” in the strait.
The ongoing movements of the Chinese aircraft carrier group and the recent military exercises underscore the growing tensions between mainland China and Taiwan. The situation is being closely watched by international observers, who are concerned about the potential for conflict to escalate.
