China, US carriers sail near Taiwan in wake of Tsai-McCarthy meet

Taiwanese defence ministry says the PLA’s Shandong and the USS Nimitz were seen near the island, amid fury from Beijing over meeting

China’s second aircraft carrier was on the way to its first-ever manoeuvres in the western Pacific

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The Shandong aircraft carrier group passing through the Bashi Strait on Wednesday. Photo: Taiwanese National Defence Ministry

Amber Wangin BeijingandLawrence Chungin Taipei

Published: 11:13am, 6 Apr 2023Updated: 5:53pm, 6 Apr 2023

The military deployment around Taiwan tightened on Thursday, with both China and the United States sending advanced warships near the island while Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

The Taiwanese defence ministry said a People’s Liberation Army fleet led by the Shandong aircraft carrier passed through the Bashi Channel – which runs between the island and the Philippines – before reaching waters southeast of Taiwan. The carrier was heading to its first manoeuvres in the western Pacific.

Also on Thursday, Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier was positioned some 400 nautical miles (740.8km) off eastern Taiwan.

“We can’t say for sure if [the Nimitz] was there because of the Shandong, but it could be something related the way it was there,” he said.

Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy, the third most senior official in the United States, took place against the backdrop of repeated warnings from Beijing that it should not go ahead.

It was the highest profile encounter between an American official and the island’s leader since Nancy Pelosi – McCarthy’s predecessor – met Tsai in Taipei eight months ago.

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