Shandong appears to have transited narrower waterways of the Philippines instead of taking Bashi Channel, according to military experts.
The PLA’s Shandong aircraft carrier is believed to have taken an alternative route to the east of Taiwan ahead of a drill last week, a move analysts say was likely to be training to counter American warships nearby and to explore alternative routes in the event of a conflict over the island.
Ahead of the two-day exercise around Taiwan, the Shandong appears to have bypassed the wider waterways between the self-ruled island and the Philippines. Instead, the warship transited via narrower waterways of the Philippine archipelago, according to mainland Chinese and Taiwanese military experts.
Analysts said the new route could give the People’s Liberation Army alternative southbound options to approach the western Pacific via the Bashi Channel, which is seen as a strategic chokepoint. Northbound options included transiting through the waterway between Japan and Taiwan.
