Taiwan says Chinese aircraft carrier group sailed through Taiwan Strait

Taipei: A Chinese aircraft carrier group sailed through the Taiwan Strait, travelling in a northerly direction after passing through waters near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas islands, Taiwan's defence ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry said the Chinese ships, led by Liaoning, the oldest of China's three aircraft carriers, were spotted on Tuesday night, and its forces monitored the fleet. The Pratas are at the northern end of the South China Sea.

China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Liaoning was involved in Chinese war games last week near Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei.

Taiwan said at the time that the Liaoning operated off the island's southeast coast during those drills, launching aircraft off its deck.

Japan said last month the same carrier had entered Japan's contiguous waters for the first time.

China has sailed its carriers through the strategic strait before, including in December shortly before Taiwan held elections.

China says it alone has jurisdiction over the nearly 180 km (110 miles) wide waterway that is a major passageway for international trade. Taiwan and the United States dispute that, saying the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway.

The US Navy regularly sails through the strait to assert freedom of navigation rights. Other allied nations, like Canada, Germany and Britain have also carried out similar missions, to the anger of Beijing.