China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the navy confirmed on Friday.
The body of water separates China from Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its control.
Though the passage could be seen as a warning to the United States and its allies against supporting Taiwan, Beijing has downplayed any such motive.
The Fujian, undergoing sea trials ahead of commissioning, was reportedly heading to the South China Sea for training and scientific experiments, the navy stated.
The navy insisted its activities were not targeting anyone. A state media account quoted an expert, asserting the Taiwan Strait was “the normal and most reasonable and efficient route” for the vessel.
This marked the Fujian’s first transit through the strait.
The US Navy, along with some allies, periodically sends warships through the strait. These transits warn Beijing against any use of force to establish its claim over the island.
Taiwan and China split in the civil war that brought the communists to power in 1949. The defeated Nationalist government fled to Taiwan and set up its own government on the island.
The US does not officially recognize the government in Taiwan, but it provides weaponry for its defense and says that any resolution of the differences between China and Taiwan should be peaceful and not by military force.
China’s military said last week that it was on high alert after the Canadian frigate Quebec and the Australian destroyer Brisbane sailed through the strait. It accused the two warships of provocative actions that it said heightened security risks.
Japan’s military said it had spotted China’s latest carrier for the first time on Thursday afternoon.
The Fujian, together with two guided-missile destroyers, was sailing southwest about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the disputed Senkaku islands, or the Diaoyu islands in Chinese.
Both countries claim the remote and uninhabited territory. The carrier’s heading at the time was on a course for the Taiwan Strait.
