China's first domestically developed electrically powered light sport aircraft (Ruixiang - (RX1E) is displayed during a delivery ceremony at Faku Caihu airport on June 18, 2015 in Shenyang, Liaoning province of China. (Photo : Getty Images/VCG)
The United States said it had no issue with China sailing the Liaoning near Taiwan and through the hotly-disputed South China Sea. Classified as a training ship, China's first aircraft carrier was commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force.
In a statement obtained by ABC News, U.S. State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said China was entitled to "freedom of navigation" in international waters just like everybody else. He noted that the Liaoning's presence did not infringe the territorial integrity of neighboring countries and pointed out, "As we often make the case with our own naval vessels sailing in those same waters, it's freedom of navigation."
The conciliatory overture underscored days of tense diplomacy as the U.S. protested the Chinese navy's seizure of an underwater glider just 50 nautical miles off the Philippines' Subic Bay in on Dec. 15. Beijing returned the drone five days later, but not after its state media accused Washington of trying to subvert the Asian giant's growing regional presence.
The Liaoning, accompanied by five other naval vessels, sailed to the South China Sea for drills before docking in China's southernmost island province of Hainan. Earlier, it passed through the Bashi Channel which is just 90 nautical miles off Taiwan.
The passage of China's first aircraft carrier has rankled nerves in Taiwan, with senior leaders saying the move was intended to show Beijing now had the ability to encircle and blockade the self-ruled island it has long considered it's own. The country's defense minister also pressed for vigilance amid this latest show of force.
"The threat of our enemies is growing day by day," Reuters quoted Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan explained as saying. "We should always be maintaining our combat alertness," We need to strengthen the training of our soldiers so that they can not only survive in battle but also destroy the enemy and accomplish the mission."
However, China still has decades to go before it could build up an aircraft carrier fleet capable of standing up to the U.S. Navy especially in waters far from its own. For now, the Liaoning is still suited only for defensive operations near China's waters.
Watch jets on Liaoning doing some drills:
