United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, reported on November 17, 2019 that China’s first fully domestically made aircraft carrier led a fleet to enter the Taiwan Strait. The same day, an official from Taiwan's pro-independence ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced Taiwan’s Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates for the up-coming Taiwanese presidential election. China's official Global Times called it “a coincidence” and said military exercises are “normal” and this event had nothing to do with the current regional situation. This aircraft carrier has done a few sea trial-runs already. However, it was a surprise for many observers that it entered the Taiwan Strait when everyone was speculating at what point it will officially deploy to the Chinese Navy. During the period of time when the carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait, both the U.S. Navy and Japan sent warships to monitor its entire passage. According to some analysts, the carrier will be based in China’s Hainan Province in the South China Sea. The Chinese Navy now has two aircraft carriers.
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