Taiwan, Chinese warships pass through the Strait

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said three Chinese ships, including the aircraft carrier Shandong, had passed through the Taiwan Strait. "A three-ship People's Liberation Army flotilla led by the aircraft carrier Shandong crossed the Taiwan Strait around noon today west of the midline heading north," Twitter quoted Rai News said. "We are closely monitoring their movements and will respond accordingly."

The Ministry of Defense of Taiwan in a second tweet then announced that it had detected the presence of 33 fighter jets and ten warships of the Chinese army around the island this morning. Twelve of the 33 jets in the area crossed the airspace; the Taiwanese armed forces therefore monitored the situation and responded by deploying aircraft, boats and land-based missile systems.