China's Aircraft Carriers Are Sailing Through East China Sea

The possible visit to Taiwan this Tuesday by US Congress President Nancy Pelosi has generated a notorious military deployment in the Strait of Formosa. Two Chinese Navy aircraft carriers are off their bases and sailing through the East China Sea.

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The aircraft carrier Liaoning left its base in the port of Qingdao on Sunday, while the Shandong set sail from the port of Sanya on Monday accompanied by an amphibious assault ship. One of the Shandong officers said the carrier was conducting "routine training maneuvers."

"For now it is unknown if the movements are related to Pelosi's visit, but just as the U.S. Navy uses its aircraft carriers for deterrent purposes, those of the Chinese Navy can also serve the same purpose," a military analyst said on condition of anonymity.

The tension between Beijing and Washington caused by the trip of Pelosi has escalated in recent days, although she has not yet officially confirmed if she will make the trip to Taiwan.

The tweet reads, "Breaking. The second Chinese aircraft carrier, Liaoning, left the dock in Qingdao City amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China. Both carriers are expected to approach the Taiwan Strait. Update of the positions of the American and Chinese ships."

On Monday, the China Maritime Safety Administration announced the closure of maritime areas for military exercises in the South China Sea until August 6 and in the Bohai Sea until August 4. 

Last week, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei declared that the Chinese military "will not sit idly by" if Pelosi visits Taiwan. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, an island it considers a rebel province since the Kuomintang nationalists withdrew there in 1949, after losing the civil war against the communists.

The United States is currently the main supplier of weapons to Taiwan and would be its greatest military ally in the event of a war with the Asian giant. President Xi Jinping's administration has accused the U.S. of defying the "One China" policy practiced by Washington, which in theory implies accepting China's sovereignty over Taiwan.