US, Chinese aircraft carriers flex muscles near Taiwan coast after Tsai's meeting with US House speaker

US and China are locking horns off the Taiwan coast after President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday morning. While China placed a fleet of ships led by the Shandong aircraft carrier hours before the meet, Washington has also deployed its USS Nimitz aircraft some 400 nautical miles (740.8 km) off eastern Taiwan.

Taiwan's Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng confirmed the position of Nimitz while carefully avoiding claims that it was deployed due to the presence of the Shandong. It also added that a Chinese anti-submarine helicopter and three more warships were stationed in the area.

"1 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today," read the statement.

Notably, after Tsai landed in Los Angeles on Tuesday night during a layover after her trip to two Central American diplomatic partner nations, Beijing assessed that her proposed meeting with McCarthy was going ahead.

Hours later, the Taiwanese defence ministry informed that China had started making moves. The fleet led by the aircraft carrier passed through the Bashi Channel separating Taiwan from the Philippines and then into waters to Taiwan's southeast.

"The Chinese communists continue to send aircraft and ships to encroach in the seas and airspace around Taiwan. In addition to posing a substantial threat to our national security, it also destroys the status quo of regional security and stability," the ministry said in the statement.

"Such actions are by no means the acts of a responsible modern country."

US urges China to choose 'diplomacy'

On Thursday, the United States called on China to choose diplomacy rather than military pressure on Taiwan after Beijing deployed warships following the meeting.

"We continue to urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful diplomacy," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Tsai subtly attacks China

Despite the Chinese threat of action, Tsai went ahead with the meeting and even released statements, seemingly targeting Beijing.

“It is no secret that today the peace we have maintained and the democracy which (we) have worked hard to build are facing unprecedented challenges,” said Tsai in remarks alongside McCarthy.

The meeting was extremely significant as McCarthy became the senior most US figure to meet a Taiwanese leader on American soil in decades

A miffed China immediately released a statement saying, "In response to the seriously erroneous acts of collusion between the United States and Taiwan, China will take resolute and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations."

(With inputs from agencies)

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