US, Japan monitor Liaoning's course to South China Sea

China's aircraft carrier Liaoning sailed through the Taiwan Strait to enter the South China Sea on Nov. 28, escorted by two destroyers and two frigates. Although the fleet did not pass the waters close to the disputed Diaoyutai (Diaoyu or Senkaku) islands, its maiden journey to the South China Sea has put the United States and Japan on alert.

Sources close to the Chinese military told China's Global Times that the Liaoning kicked off its training mission as soon as it left the Taiwan Strait. "The training has become more like active combat since it was closely followed by American and Japanese scouting vessels and aircraft," a source said.

In Taiwan, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Luo Shou-he noted that the Liaoning and its escorts maintained a course on the western side of the center line of the Strait. A newspaper photo showed that all ships at the military base in Keelung, northern Taiwan, were on stand-by while the Chinese fleet made its way south.

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