China asserts right to navigate aircraft carriers near Taiwan: Video
In a recent statement, China's foreign ministry declared it "perfectly normal" for its aircraft carriers to sail near Taiwan, emphasising that such movements occur within its territory.
On Wednesday, October 23, a Chinese aircraft carrier group sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a move that Taiwan's defence ministry closely monitored.
This passage followed a live-fire exercise conducted by Beijing near the self-ruled island, further escalating the situation, AFP reports.
"Taiwan is Chinese territory. It is perfectly normal for Chinese aircraft carriers to sail in their territory and territorial waters. No matter what the Taiwan authorities say or do, they cannot change the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, nor can they change the major trend that Taiwan will and must be unified in the end," Lin Jian, China's foreign ministry's spokesman told reporters the same day.
China's naval activities in the Taiwan Strait have been a point of contention for years. The strait, which separates Taiwan from mainland China, is a significant route for international trade and military manoeuvres.
China maintains its jurisdiction over the nearly 180-kilometre-wide waterway, a claim disputed by Taiwan and the United States, who argue that the strait is an international waterway.
