US, China aircraft carriers sail near Taiwan as Beijing warns of forceful measures after top US-Taiwan officials meet

Chinese naval fleet

Beijing, Apr 6 (PTI) China and the US flexed their naval might by deploying aircraft carriers in a rare showdown in the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing on Thursday fumed over US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's high-profile meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

The Taiwanese defence ministry said a Chinese naval fleet led by the Shandong aircraft carrier passed through the Bashi Channel - which runs between the self-ruled island and the Philippines - before reaching waters southeast of Taiwan.

The aircraft carrier was heading to its first manoeuvres in the western Pacific, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.