TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday released images showing the Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian transiting the Taiwan Strait without planes on its deck.
In its morning update, the defense ministry said that from 6 a.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday it detected nine PLA aircraft and seven naval vessels operating around Taiwan, per CNA.
The ministry confirmed that the PLA’s Fujian transited the strait on Tuesday and said the armed forces maintained close surveillance. Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) told lawmakers the military monitored the transit throughout.
Koo said that, based on the photos, the absence of carrier-based aircraft on the flight deck suggested the ship was heading back to the shipyard on Shanghai's Changxing Island for “further rectification of deficiencies.”
The ministry said that mission aircraft, naval vessels, and shore-based missile systems are being used to closely monitor and respond to the situation.
