Taiwan’s Defence Minister warned on Tuesday that threats from China were growing daily after Beijing’s aircraft carrier and a flotilla of other warships passed south of the island in an exercise as tensions grow.
After sailing south of Taiwan itself, the liaoning and five other warships passed the Taiwan-administered Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea also claimed by Beijing, according to Taiwan’s defence ministry. The navy drills are seen as a show of strength by Beijing as its relations worsen with Taiwan and the United States, following a protocol-breaking telephone conversation between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US President-elect Donald Trump.