China's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has passed through the Taiwan Strait, Reuters reports.
This is the ship's first passage through the sensitive waterway since it was officially put into service last month.
Taiwan, which Beijing considers its territory, reports almost daily Chinese military activity around the island, which Taipei sees as an ongoing campaign of pressure against its democratically elected government.
Today, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said that the Fujian passed through the strait the previous day and that Taiwanese forces were monitoring it.
The ministry showed a black-and-white photo of the aircraft carrier without any aircraft on its deck. It did not specify where the photo was taken or provide any other details.
Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Ku said the ship was likely heading to Changxing Island in Shanghai, home to China's main shipyard, and that the ministry had not observed it conducting military activities.
China claims sole sovereignty over the strait, a major shipping lane for cargo traffic. Taiwan and the United States insist it is an international waterway.
Separately, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said China was conducting a "joint combat readiness patrol" near the island involving 23 warplanes, as well as warships.
The planes were J-10 fighters and H-6K bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
In September, the same aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait and entered the disputed South China Sea during tests.
"Fujian" is China's third aircraft carrier with a flat flight deck and electromagnetic catapults for launching aircraft, making it potentially a much more powerful naval weapon than the first two Russian-designed aircraft carriers.
"Fujian" will be able to carry significantly more and more heavily armed jet fighters than the "Liaoning" and "Shandong", which are smaller and rely on launch pads for aircraft.
"Fujian" is expected to accommodate a larger and broader array of aircraft than the other two carriers - including early warning aircraft and possibly China's first stealth jet fighters capable of being carried by aircraft carriers.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the commissioning ceremony in Hainan province last month and boarded the ship for an inspection tour.
Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's claims to sovereignty and emphasizes that only the island's people can decide its future.