The first China’s aircraft carrier “Liaoning” and five other warships passed Taiwan and headed for the South China sea on 26 December, according to the Ministry of defense of Taiwan.
The ships sailed past the disputed Islands from the property, also known as Dunsa, which are under the control of Taiwan and located in the Northern part of the South China sea, said the Ministry of defence.
The Taiwan Ministry said that “Liaoning” and other Chinese warships on Sunday sailed 166 miles to the South of Taiwan in the Bashi channel, the waterway between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Chinese state media reported that “the formation of the Chinese Navy, including the aircraft carrier “Liaoning” is located in the Western Pacific exercises”, the BBC reports.
The Ministry of defense of Taiwan, according to Reuters, is closely monitoring the progress of the exercise. Chinese aircraft carrier sailed between the Japanese Islands of Okinawa and Miyako, before she came to the Pacific ocean.
However, the Ministry of defense of Japan said that “Liaoning” and other Chinese ships that were in the Central part of the East China sea on Saturday, did not enter Japanese waters, reports The Japan News.
The Japanese Ministry noted that the Maritime self-defense force of Japan for the first time recorded Chinese aircraft carrier. “We continue our observations and send out warnings to Chinese ships”, — said on the Agency’s website.
The growing tensions in the South China sea, where the US and China accuse each other in dangerous military construction. China claims almost the entire sea and confronts its neighbours in numerous disputes over Islands, coral reefs and lagoons.
American organization Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative reported that according to satellite imagery, China is building a large anti-aircraft guns on the artificial Islands in the contested waters that already has a runway, communications and missile.
Avianca “Liaoning”, built by order of the Chinese Navy in 2012, the first time went to the South China sea in 2013 and moored at the naval base near the Chinese resort of Sanya. The ship at that time was not equipped with a full complement of aircraft.
