Taiwan warned on Tuesday that "the threat of our enemies is growing day by day," as a group of Chinese warships led by the country's sole aircraft carrier sailed toward the island province of Hainan through the South China Sea on a routine drill. The drill comes amid renewed tension over Taiwan, which China claims as its own. The Chinese warships rounded Taiwan on Monday, passing between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa and through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, said Taiwan's defense ministry. "Staying vigilant and flexible has always been the normal method of maintaining airspace security," Taiwan's defense ministry spokesperson Chen Chung-Chi said. Chen said the ministry was continuing to "monitor and grasp the situation."

China warships conduct drill; Taiwan on alert. (2016, December 28). Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A2.