The Telegraph
Date: 18 November 2019
By:  Nicola Smith, taipei

Taiwan has accused China of attempting to intimidate voters ahead of its 2020 presidential election after Beijing sailed an aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday.

The still unnamed aircraft carrier – the first entirely domestically built by China – and accompanying vessels were spotted sailing southbound through the strait, a heavily trafficked strategic waterway separating China from the island of 23 million, said Taiwan’s defence ministry.

The ministry said ships and jets scrambled to monitor the fleet, which stayed on the Chinese side of the waterway. It asked its citizens not to worry and revealed that US and Japanese ships were also following the Chinese ships.

The voyage coincided with an announcement by Tsai Ing-wen, the Taiwanese president, naming her running mate, William Lai for the January poll, prompting Taipei to immediately hit back at Beijing’s perceived motivations.    [FULL  STORY]