Taipei, April 28 (Reuters) – Taiwan spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to maintain surveillance, the Defense Ministry in Taipei said.
China, which considers Taiwan its own territory, sends ships and warplanes into the waters and skies around the island almost daily, which is condemned by the Taiwanese government.
While Taiwan’s Defense Ministry provides daily updates on the location of Chinese military aircraft, it rarely provides details on where Chinese warships are operating, other than when it detects aircraft carriers, as it did last week.
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Late on Monday, the ministry said a Chinese destroyer and frigate had entered waters southwest of the Penghu Islands, which are home to Taiwan’s main air and naval bases and are close to the Taiwanese side of the strait.
The Taiwan Army ‘closely monitored the formation and responded appropriately using naval and air forces,’ the ministry added, without elaborating.
The ministry showed color photos of the two ships taken from the air, but did not provide their exact location.
China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, the ministry said that China’s regular military activities around Taiwan are ‘fully justified and reasonable’ and that any tensions are the responsibility of the Taipei government.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide its future.
