Chinese aircraft carrier enters Bashi Channel, heading for West Pacific

Taipei, Oct. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's military said Sunday that the Chinese Liaoning Carrier Strike Group sailed into seas around the Bashi Channel, a waterway that separates Taiwan from the Philippines, earlier in the day, and is expected to head to the West Pacific.

The Ministry of National Defense said it is closely monitoring the group's movements, using joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

Based on a report released by Japan's Joint Staff Office on Oct. 2, the Chinese Liaoning Carrier Strike Group was operating southeast of the Philippine main island of Mindanao and heading toward the Celebes Sea.

It is not immediately clear if the latest deployment of the Liaoning is related to Taiwanese officials' earlier warnings that China could launch another round of military drills following President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) National Day address on Oct. 10.

In his speech delivered Thursday, Lai said that the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) not being subordinate to each other is an objective fact and reflects the current status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) criticized Lai for using various means to "sell the fallacy of 'Taiwan independence,'" and accused him of revealing "his pernicious intention to escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait for political gain."

Mao reiterated Beijing's "one China principle," underlining Taiwan is an indivisible part of China's territory.

As of Sunday, there had been no reports of Beijing announcing military drills in response to Lai's speech.

The Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, was launched in 2012. The vessel is a refurbished Soviet Kuznetsov-class cruiser carrier, purchased from Ukraine in an incomplete state