China threatens Taiwan with warships as it takes advantage of two US aircraft carriers being crippled by coronavirus
CHINA threatened Taiwan by sailing an aircraft carrier and fighter jets close by after both US carriers in the Pacific were forced to dock due to coronavirus.
The Liaoning - China's first operational carrier - and five escort warships passed through the Miyako Strait to the northeast of Taiwan on Saturday.
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The Liaoining's carrier group - which includes two missile destroyers, two missile frigates, and a supply ship - sailed in waters to Taiwan's east and then towards the south of Taiwan, carrying out exercises, China's Defence Ministry said.
The Liaoning, which can carry up to 24 J-15 fighter jets, is reported to be the only aircraft carrier currently active in the western Pacific.
In response to China, Taiwan sent its own warships to monitor the carrier's movements, reports.
A day earlier the US guided-missile the USS Barry steamed through the Taiwan Strait on the opposite side of the island.
DISPUTE
China and Taiwan have a long-standing dispute over the island's legal status.
The Chinese government considers Taiwan a part of its territory, but many Taiwanese consider the territory as a separate nation.
The provocative Chinese naval exercised come after two US carriers were taken out of action by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nearly 600 sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is currently docked in Guam, have contracted the virus.
The carrier reported its first death on Monday after a sailor who previously tested positive for the virus died.
Another is in intensive care and three more are in hospital on the island.
Meanwhile the USS Ronald Reagan is docked in Yokosuka, Japan, for routine maintenance.
It may be out of action for weeks as officials ordered it must not set sail until they are sure none of the crew are infected with Covid-19.
That means the nearest carrier strike group to Taiwan is the USS Eisenhower, 4,000 miles away in Gulf of Oman.
Weeks ago, Roosevelt commander Captain Brett Crozier on the vessel and called for urgent help.
In his letter to Navy top brass - which was leaked to the media - Capt Crozier said: “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die.
";If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors."
The U.S. Navy fired the commander after he begged for sailors to be removed from his ship during the coronavirus outbreak.
Thomas Modly, the acting Navy secretary, told reporters that Crozier's letter was sent outside the chain of command while the Navy was already "fully responding" to his protect sailors.
Modly said Crozier "undermined the chain of command", adding: "I lost confidence in his ability to lead that warship."
He added the commander "was absolutely correct in raising" concerns about the ship, but "it was the way in which he did it" that "created a little bit of panic on the ship."
After Crozier's firing, President Donald Trump said he might get involved in the situation, calling Modly's criticism "a rough statement."
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The president said Crozier made a mistake when he sent the memo to several people laying out his concerns about the crew and the virus.
Trump said Crozier — who had tested positive for Covid-19 — had a good career prior to this incident and said:
Pentagon leaders expect the coronavirus may strike more navy ships at sea.
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