Taiwan spots Chinese ships after Beijing's 'prepared for battle' statements
Taiwan spots Chinese warships (illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Taiwan announced that Chinese aircraft carriers were approaching the island, reports Reuters. This happened shortly after the Chinese military released a video about them being "prepared for battle."
Taiwan reported that a Chinese aircraft carrier group had entered the waters near the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines.
This came as the Chinese military released a propaganda video in which it said it was “prepared for battle.”
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said that a Chinese naval group led by the Liaoning aircraft carrier entered the waters near the Bashi Strait, which connects the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean and separates Taiwan from the Philippines.
It is now known that the Taiwanese Armed Forces are “keeping a close watch” on the developments and “exercising an appropriate vigilance and response.”
Earlier today, the Eastern Front Command of the People's Liberation Army of China, which is responsible for the territory that includes Taiwan, posted a propaganda video on its social media pages titled “Fully prepared and biding one's time before battle”.
The video shows fighter jets and warships, mobile rocket launchers, and amphibious vehicles, as well as a small map of Taiwan, included in one of the Chinese characters that form the title of the video.
Escalation in the South China Sea
China claims control over almost all of the South China Sea. However, the area is also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, which has angered its neighbors and the United States, who have stepped up their security activities in the region.
Moreover, earlier this month, Chinese Communist Party President Xi Jinping declared Taiwan to be “an integral part of China's territory” and reiterated his promise to achieve “reunification” with a democratic Taiwan.
