Chinese warship transits Taiwan Strait hours before Biden-Xi phone call

The aircraft carrier Shandong was shadowed by a US destroyer, source tells Reuters

The sailing came about 12 hours before US President Joe Biden was due to hold a telephone call with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping

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The Shandong is believed to have sailed close to a Taiwan-controlled island directly opposite the mainland city of Xiamen. Photo: CCTV

Published: 5:34pm, 18 Mar 2022

Beijing sailed its aircraft carrier Shandong through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Friday, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The transit, which came just hours before the Chinese and US presidents were due to talk, also saw the Shandong being shadowed by a US destroyer, the source said.

Beijing claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and has over the past two years stepped up military activity near the island to assert sovereignty claims, alarming both Taipei and Washington.

The source, who was not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Shandong sailed close to the Taiwan-controlled island of Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, which sits directly opposite the mainland city of Xiamen, and that it was shadowed by a US warship.

“Around 10.30am the CV-17 appeared around 30 nautical miles to the southwest of Kinmen, and was photographed by a passenger on a civilian flight,” the source said, referring to the Shandong’s official service number.

The USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh-Burke guided missile destroyer, shadowed the Chinese carrier, which did not have aircraft on its deck and sailed north through the strait, the source added.