TAIPEI (Reuters) -A Chinese aircraft carrier group sailed through the Taiwan Strait, travelling in a northerly direction after passing through waters near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas islands, Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Wednesday.
The ministry said the Chinese ships, led by Liaoning, the oldest of China’s three aircraft carriers, were spotted on Tuesday night, and its forces monitored the fleet. The Pratas are at the northern end of the South China Sea.
China’s defence ministry did not answer calls seeking comment outside of office hours.
The Liaoning was involved in Chinese war games last week near Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei.
Taiwan said at the time that the Liaoning operated off the island’s southeast coast during those drills, launching aircraft off its deck.
Japan said last month the same carrier had entered Japan’s contiguous waters for the first time.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Chris Reese and Stephen Coates)
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