Chinese carrier sails through Taiwan Strait ahead of Xi-Biden talks

TAIPEI • China sailed its aircraft carrier Shandong through the sensitive Taiwan Strait yesterday, shadowed by a US destroyer, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, just hours before the Chinese and American leaders were due to talk.

China claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and has over the past two years stepped up military activity near the island to assert its sovereignty claims, alarming Taipei and Washington.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Shandong sailed close to the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen, which is located directly opposite the Chinese city of Xiamen, and was shadowed by a United States warship.

"Around 10.30am, the CV-17 appeared around 30 nautical miles to the south-west of Kinmen, and was photographed by a passenger on a civilian flight," the source said, referring to the Shandong's official service number.

The USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer, shadowed the carrier, which did not have aircraft on its deck and sailed north through the strait, the source added.

Taiwan also sent warships to keep an eye on the situation, the source said.

Taiwan's Defence Ministry declined to comment.

China's Defence Ministry and the US Navy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The manoeuvre took place about 12 hours before US President Joe Biden was due to speak to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The source described the timing of the Shandong's movement so close to that call as "provocative".

China says Taiwan is the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the United States.

Washington has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, but is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier.

The Shandong is China's newest aircraft carrier, commissioned in 2019. China's only other carrier, the Liaoning, is mostly used for training purposes.

Both ships have ventured close to Taiwan before.

In December 2019, shortly before the island's presidential and parliamentary elections, the Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a move condemned by Taipei as attempted intimidation.

Taiwan's air force also scrambles aircraft almost daily to see off Chinese warplanes flying into Taiwan's air defence identification zone, mostly to the south-western part of the strait at the top end of the South China Sea.

Taiwan calls this "grey zone" warfare activity, designed to both test its responses and wear out the island's air force.

REUTERS