Won't tolerate Taiwan freedom incidents: China after carrier passes through Taiwan strait

Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said on Monday that the nation will not tolerate any incidents in favour of Taiwan's independence. The spokesperson made the comments at a news briefing following a meeting of Chinese and US military officials in Bangkok. He also urged Washington to strike an appropriate deal on the issue. According to the defence ministry of self-ruled Taiwan, Beijing's carrier ship had passed the Taiwan Strait on November 17 which was tailed by the US and ships from Japan. 

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China claims responsibility

A day after the incident of Taiwan claiming that a Chinese ship had passed through its strait, China confirmed that it was because of the 'routine training' and tests of ships. This was also the second carrier ship from Beijing which crossed self-ruled Taiwan and has further fueled tensions with Beijing around the disputed part of the South China Sea. Reportedly, the carrier was launched in 2017 and it crossed through sensitive areas before entering the disputed part. According to the spokesperson of the Chinese navy, it was for 'scientific research tests and routine training'. 

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China called on the US

While China has always considered Taiwan as its own territory, the US has supported Taiwan even without any formal ties with the self-ruled nation. China even called out the US military to stop interfering in the matters of Taiwan in order to create 'new uncertainties'. The Chinese Defence Minister, Wei Fenghe, urged the US Defense Secretary to 'stop flexing muscles in the South China Sea and not provoke and escalate tensions' in the disputed area. China has also claimed all the energy-rich waters of the Sea and has established military outposts on artificial islands that it had created under the international media's glare. 

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(With inputs from agencies)