OPINION:
The communist People’s Republic of China — rattled by Donald Trump’s overtures to Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province — sailed a flotilla of warships through the Taiwan Strait, including its only Soviet-built aircraft carrier, Liaoning.
Reuters reports the ships did not enter Taiwanese territorial waters but did enter its air defense zone. Taiwanese fighter jets scrambled to “surveille and control,” according to the Taiwanese defense ministry.
“I want to emphasize our government has sufficient capability to protect our national security. It’s not necessary to overly panic,” said Chang Hsiao-yueh, minister for Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, during a news briefing in response to reporters’ questions on the Liaoning.
“On the other hand, any threats would not benefit cross-Strait ties,” she said.
China also recently flew a long-range bomber around the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in a separate incident. Beijing claims most of the energy rich area for itself even though they are international waters and far from the Chinese mainland. China lost a U.N. tribunal case over the issue last year.
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