China confirmed that its naval formation led by its sole aircraft carrier liaoning passed through the Taiwan Strait en route to South China Sea for military drills, which prompted Taiwan to scramble its F-16 fighter jets. “A naval formation consisting of the aircraft carrier liaoning on Thursday passed through the Taiwan Straits en route to the South China Sea for drills and tests,” said liang Yang, spokesperson with the People’s liberation Army Navy.
“The liaoning and other naval vessels in the formation were scientifically organised and meticulously operated during the navigation,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. This is the first official reaction from China since Taiwanese media reported on liaoning’s activities on Tuesday, which prompted the island’s military to dispatch F-16 fighter jets to monitor the movements of China’s only aircraft carrier.