China¡¯s navy acknowledged Monday that its first domestically built aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait a day earlier but said the move was not directed at any ¡°specific target¡± and was instead part of ¡°equipment tests and routine training¡± as it headed into the South China Sea.
A spokesman for the Chinese Navy said the sailing, part of ongoing sea trials, was a normal part of the process of building an aircraft carrier and had nothing to do with the current tensions between Beijing and Taipei, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
During a meeting between Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Monday in Bangkok, Wei told Esper that Beijing would stick to ¡°peacefully resolving the Taiwan question, but will not tolerate a major ¡®Taiwan secession¡¯ event, and that the U.S. should handle the issue with care,¡± China¡¯s state-run Global Times reported.
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