Chinese aircraft carrier leads large strike group into western Pacific as Taiwan tensions rise
- The Liaoning escorted on ‘routine mission’ by seven warships, including the PLA Navy’s most powerful destroyer
- US Navy strike group training in Philippine Sea means the two flotillas are not too far away from each other
The fleet passed through the Miyako Strait between Japan’s Okinawa islands on Monday afternoon to enter the western Pacific before heading south, Tokyo’s defence ministry said.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is currently deployed in the Philippine Sea, according to US Navy ship tracking information on Monday. This means the Chinese and US carrier groups would possibly not be too far away from each other.
Chinese navy spokesman Gao Xiucheng said the warships were on a “routine training” mission. “It is in line with relevant international laws and practices, and without targeting any party,” Gao said on Tuesday.
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Chinese PLA Navy crew on the aircraft carrier Liaoning conduct training exercises
This comes just weeks after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held large-scale naval and air force exercises in the East China Sea, “in response to the recent frequent false signals released by the US on the Taiwan issue”.
