TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier transited the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said Monday.

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on Sunday said vessel formation 133 passed through the Yokoate Waterway in the Ryukyu Islands, per CNA. The carrier strike group is heading to the western Pacific Ocean to conduct training exercises “to test the far-seas operations capabilities of forces.”

The Ministry of National Defense released a surveillance photo on Monday afternoon confirming the transit earlier in the day. It said Taiwan’s armed forces closely monitored the carrier group throughout its passage.

According to surveillance photos released by the ministry, carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters can be seen on the Liaoning's flight deck, and the hull number “16” is clearly visible.

The Liaoning aircraft carrier was originally the Soviet-built Varyag, CNA reported. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine stripped the vessel of equipment and sold it as scrap to a Chinese military company.

The ship was towed to Dalian, China, where it underwent years of refitting before entering service in 2012.