Chinese carrier passes close to Philippines on way to Pacific drills, Taiwan says

TAIPEI — The Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong passed close to the northern Philippines on its way to drills in the Pacific, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on July 10, as Taipei reported dozens of warplanes joining the ship for exercises.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, keeps a close watch on Chinese movements given the daily military activity around the island.

Taiwan has also repeatedly complained over the past four years of stepped up Chinese military activity nearby.

Taiwan's Defence Ministry said, starting at around dawn on July 10, it had detected 36 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, flying to the south and south-east of the island heading to the Western Pacific to carry out drills with the Shandong.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament shortly before his ministry announced details of the latest mission by the Shandong, commissioned by China in 2019, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said they had a "full grasp" of the ship's movements.

"It did not pass through the Bashi Channel," he said, referring to the waterway that separates Taiwan from the Philippines and is the usual route Chinese warships and warplanes take when they head into the Pacific.

"It went further south, through the Balintang Channel, to the Western Pacific," Koo added, a waterway between the Philippines' Batanes and Babuyan Islands.

China's Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Philippine military said it was concerned with the deployment of the Chinese carrier group.

"We emphasise the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region and urge all parties to adhere to international laws and norms," said Colonel Francel Margareth