Chinese aircraft carrier passes through the Taiwan Strait [Photo captured from Taiwan Ministry of National Defense Facebook]

Amid ongoing conflict between China and Japan, military activities surrounding the Taiwan Strait have intensified, further raising regional tensions.

According to Taiwanese media, including Liberty Times, on the 21st, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense announced via social media that the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning had passed through the Taiwan Strait the previous day and released related photos.

The photos clearly show eight carrier-based aircraft and three helicopters on the deck, and the hull number '16' of the Liaoning is also visible.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense briefly added that they are closely monitoring the situation.

This is the first time since December of last year that Taiwan has announced the sighting of a Chinese aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Strait, marking a four-month interval.

Military tensions are escalating as China strongly protests Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force warships passing through the Taiwan Strait.

Japan has dispatched approximately 1,400 combat troops to participate in the multinational joint exercise 'Balikatan' led by the United States and the Philippines.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force warship JS Ikazuchi passed through the Taiwan Strait on the 17th. The fact that this date coincided with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki is cited as a factor that amplified China's protest.

In response, China is expanding its military activities.

On the 18th, Senior Colonel Shi Changhuan, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command, announced that joint combat readiness patrols would be conducted involving naval and air force units.

On the 19th, it was announced that a fleet of missile destroyers, including the Baotou, had passed through the Yokoate Strait near Okinawa, Japan, and entered the Western Pacific.

While the Chinese side stated that the training was routine and not aimed at any specific country or target, they emphasized its deterrent effect against hostile forces.

On the 21st, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun also confirmed the passage of the Baotou into the Western Pacific, reporting that Chinese naval vessels passed through the waters southwest of Japan's western islands on the 19th.

According to Japan's Ministry of Defense, Chinese destroyers and frigates proceeded eastward around 11 a.m. that day, approximately 60 km southwest of Japan's Yokoate Island, and exited into the Pacific Ocean between Amami Oshima and Yokoate Island.

The Ministry of Defense is reportedly closely watching the possibility that this was a retaliatory measure for the passage of the JS Ikazuchi through the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese warships pass between western Japanese islands [Screenshot from Japan Joint Staff Office material] Red arrows indicate the passage route.

China is strongly protesting Japan's participation in Balikatan, viewing it as a move to expand its military reach overseas.

Chinese military expert Zhang Junxu argued in the state-run Global Times that "the equipment and combat troops deployed by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces possess substantial attack capabilities," and "Japan is attempting further provocations in the South China Sea through the Balikatan exercise."

He added, "This demonstrates Japan's departure from the post-war peace order and its move towards expanding military power. This is a clear signal of the revival of militarism."

While the Japanese government has not directly commented on China's protests following the passage of its Self-Defense Force warships through the Taiwan Strait, it has emphasized that SDF activities do not violate international law.

At a press conference on the 21st, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, a government spokesperson, stated, "Speaking in general terms, all activities of the Self-Defense Forces are conducted in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and domestic laws and regulations."

There have also been assertions that China could deploy aircraft carrier forces to the Western Pacific.

Military expert Song Zhongping told Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao that "in response to Japan's provocation in the Taiwan Strait, the People's Liberation Army needs to take counter-measures." He stated, "By deploying aircraft carriers for Western Pacific exercises and conducting rotational maneuvers utilizing the Yokoate Strait and Miyako Strait, strategic pressure on Japan and US military bases in Japan can be intensified."