Taiwan's Defense Ministry said three Chinese ships, including the aircraft carrier Shandong, crossed the Taiwan Strait on Saturday. The ships headed "west of the median line towards the north," the ministry said in a statement.
While the presence of Chinese warships in the Taiwan strait is constantly monitored and announced almost daily by Taipei, the passage of the carrier is unusual. Relations between Beijing and Taipei have further deteriorated in recent years and China has stepped up military incursions around the island.