TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Wednesday it had detected 36 Chinese military aircraft flying to the south and southeast of the island heading to the Western Pacific to carry out drills with Chinese aircraft carrier the Shandong.
Democratically-governed Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has repeatedly complained over the past four years of stepped up Chinese military activity nearby.
Speaking to reporters at parliament shortly before his ministry announced details of the latest mission by the Shandong, commissioned by China in 2019, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said they had a “full grasp” of the ship’s movements.
“It did not pass through the Bashi Channel,” he said, referring to the waterway that separates Taiwan from the Philippines and is the usual route Chinese warships and warplanes take when they head into the Pacific.
“It went further south, through the Balintang Channel, to the Western Pacific,” Koo added, a waterway between the Philippines’ Batanes and Babuyan Islands.
China’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Philippines military said it was concerned with the deployment of the Chinese carrier group.
“We emphasise the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region and urge all parties to adhere to international laws and norms,” said spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla.
The Philippines is currently involved in a stand-off with China over the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Michael Perry)
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