China deploys aircraft carrier after US ships struck by coronavirus
Taiwan has reportedly scrambled its warships to monitor a Chinese aircraft carrier strike group, as the two US aircraft carriers in the region have been docked by the coronavirus.
China's first ever aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, led the group through the Miyako Strait near Japan, the South China Morning Post has reported.
The current location and destination of the carrier group is unknown, but Taiwan has sent its own vessels to monitor them.
The Liaoning aircraft carrier is on the move in the western Pacific. AAP
Authorities urged the Taiwanese public to "be reassured" that reconnaissance was being carried out.
Exacerbating tensions in the region is the fact that the two US aircraft carriers in the western Pacific have been stricken with the deadly COVID-19 virus.
One, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was recently embroiled in a controversy after its captain disclosed details about the virus situation about his vessel and was subsequently dismissed from his post.
It is currently docked in Guam.
The USS Ronald Reagan, meanwhile, is currently docked at a Japanese port after its crew were similarly afflicted.
China has denied reports that the crew of its other aircraft carrier, the Shandong, had been hit by the virus.
Taiwan's self-rule has long been disputed by Beijing, which regards the island as part of its territory.
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