A PLA fleet led by the Shandong aircraft carrier passed within 400km of the island of Taiwan on Thursday, as Taiwanese president Tsai-Ing wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
According to the Taiwanese defence ministry, the Shandong carrier group passed through the Bashi Channel – which separates the island from the Philippines – before reaching waters southeast of Taiwan on its way to manoeuvres in the West Pacific.
Also on Thursday, official agencies in Beijing were quick to issue statements condemning the meeting. The Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of “providing a podium for Taiwan separatists to carry out official exchanges between US and Taiwan and enhance ties between the US and Taiwan”.
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The foreign ministry statement said Taiwan issues are “the first red line in China-US relations which must not be crossed” and Taiwan independence will “come to a dead end”.
Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy, the third most senior official in the US, took place despited repeated warnings from Beijing.
It was the highest profile encounter between an American official and the island’s leader since Nancy Pelosi – McCarthy’s predecessor – met Tsai in Taipei eight months ago.
US House speaker meets Taiwanese president in California
Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting of the legislature on Thursday, Taiwanese defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the aircraft carrier was detected some 200 nautical miles (370.4km) off Olanpi in southern Taiwan.
Chiu said the Shandong is currently on a “training mission”.
“Because of the sensitivity [of the issue] at this time, we are still studying the motive of the Chinese Communists, and there are several possibilities of which we have already worked out countermeasures for preparation. But it is not convenient for us to give more details,” he said.
“Regarding the content of Shandong’s mission, it should include warplane take-off and landing, but so far we have not detected such situations. We will continue to monitor its movement.”
The deployment of the PLA’s second aircraft carrier – to its first-ever exercises in the West Pacific – followed the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration’s announcement on Wednesday that a joint cruise and patrol operation was under way in the northern and central parts of the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing condemns Taiwanese leader’s ‘sneaky transit’ in US
In a separate statement later on Wednesday, the administration described the operation as “on-site inspections” of cargo ships and construction ships in the strait to ensure “the safety of ships” and “the orderly operation of key water projects”.
Official statements in response to Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy were also issued on Thursday by China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress, the defence ministry and Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
Citing the Anti-Secession Law, the NPC said any attempt to undermine the reunification of the motherland would eventually be punished by law.
The defence ministry said the PLA “maintains a high level of vigilance at all times, resolutely defends national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely maintains peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
The Taiwan Affairs Office said attempts by “Taiwan independence forces” will be “smashed to pieces”.
More from South China Morning Post:
- PLA launches Taiwan Strait drills as Tsai Ing-wen prepares to meet US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
- Taiwan not expecting Beijing to react on same scale as last year’s Nancy Pelosi visit if President Tsai Ing-wen meets US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
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