Taiwan. The Shandong aircraft carrier strike group sailed near the island, Chinese aircraft violated the ADIZ

The ministry in Taipei reported on Friday that a group of Chinese ships, led by the Shandong aircraft carrier, sailed within 60 nautical miles (approx. 110 kilometers) of the southeastern coast. Taiwan. At the same time, a violation of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) by 11 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters, was reported, which was met with an “appropriate response” by Taiwanese forces.

According to the Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post, this is the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier has passed so close to Taiwan. However, this information is not certain. In the past, Shandong passed near the island several times and also crossed the Taiwan Strait, which is approximately 130 kilometers wide at its narrowest point.

Shandong entered service in 2019. It is the second aircraft carrier in the fleet of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the only ship of this type fully built in the PRC – it was built at the shipyard in Dalian. On board the unit can be 32 fighters and 12 helicopters. Currently in progress China work on the construction of further, even larger aircraft carriers.

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On Saturday, ships from Taiwan sailed through the strait separating Taiwan from mainland China USA and Canada. It coincided with the G20 summit in India, attended by the leaders of both countries.

The communist authorities in Beijing recognize democratically governed Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China and seek to take control over it, without ruling out the possibility of using force. However, according to public opinion polls, the majority of Taiwanese are not interested in coming under Beijing’s rule, and the government in Taipei declares to fight to defend its independence.