A Chinese naval formation led by the Liaoning aircraft carrier sailed through waters northeast of Taiwan yesterday and continued toward the southeast of Japan’s Yonaguni Island, the Ministry of National Defense said.
“During this period, the armed forces monitored the situation and responded accordingly,” the ministry said in a statement.
China has been staging regular exercises around Taiwan for a few years.
Photo: AFP/The Japanese Ministry of Defense Joint Staff Office Public Relations
The Japanese government said it was the first time that a Chinese aircraft carrier, which was accompanied by two destroyers, entered its contiguous zone, an area within 24 nautical miles (44.4km) of the Japanese coast.
“This incident is totally unacceptable from the perspective of the security environment of Japan and the region, and we have expressed our serious concerns to the Chinese side through diplomatic channels,” Japanese government spokesman Hiroshi Moriya said.
Yonaguni lies a little more than 100km to the east of Taiwan.
The voyage came after the Chinese military tailed a US aircraft that flew through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said, vowing to “resolutely defend national sovereignty.”
The ministry on Tuesday confirmed that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon, a maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, transited the Taiwan Strait from south to north earlier in the day, and that it closely monitored activities in the air and waters around Taiwan and the situation remained normal.
The transit of the Taiwan Strait in international airspace was made to demonstrate the US’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, a statement released by the US 7th Fleet the same day said.
The US military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows to uphold the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations, the statement read.
Meanwhile, Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command spokesman Colonel Li Xi (李熹) called the US transit a “stunt.”
Yesterday, the ministry said nine Chinese military aircraft, 13 naval vessels and one official ship were detected in a 24-hour window ending at 6am.
It said in a second statement that a further 15 Chinese warplanes were detected yesterday, of which 12 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait “in conducting air-sea joint training” with Chinese naval vessels.
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