TAIPEI: China deployed warships through waters around Taiwan on Thursday (Apr 6) as it vowed a “resolute response” to the island’s president meeting US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy – the third highest ranking official in the US leadership hierarchy – and other Republican and Democratic lawmakers met Tsai on Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
China had repeatedly warned both sides the meeting should not take place, and deployed an aircraft carrier through waters southeast of Taiwan hours before the talks.
Three additional warships were detected in waters separating the island from mainland China, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said on Thursday morning.
An anti-submarine helicopter had also crossed the island’s air defence identification zone, according to the ministry.
And China deployed coastguard vessels for unusual patrols that sparked a protest from Taiwan.
Despite Taiwan having been ruled separately for more than 70 years, China views it as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.
China carried out its largest-ever air and sea exercises around Taiwan following a visit in August last year by McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, to the island.
China then deployed warships, missiles and fighter jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan.
Its response to the McCarthy meeting has so far been on a much lower level, but still left Taiwan on high alert.
Taiwan’s defence minister described the timing of the deployment of the Shandong, one of just two Chinese aircraft carriers, as “sensitive”.
“When an aircraft carrier comes out, there are usually takeoffs and landings for aircraft but we have not found any takeoff or landing. We will keep watching,” Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters.
When asked if Shandong’s deployment was a prelude to Chinese military exercises, Chiu said: “We are not ruling this out”.
China has sailed its aircraft carriers near to Taiwan before and at similarly sensitive times.
In March of last year, the Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait, just hours before the Chinese and US presidents were due to talk.
The US aircraft carrier the USS Nimitz is also about 400 nautical miles east of Taiwan, Chiu said.
“It can’t be said it’s here for us, but as soon as this situation happened – it’s all related,” he added.
The US Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.