TAIPEI: Taiwan said on Wednesday it sent ships and planes to track a Chinese aircraft carrier which passed through the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing’s leader gave the island a fierce warning against separatism and Washington expressed strong backing for Taipei.

The Liaoning and accompanying vessels entered Taiwan’s air defence zone on Tuesday, the same day Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a blistering nationalistic speech — warning against what he called any attempts to split China.

“All acts and tricks to separate the country are doomed to fail and will be condemned by the people and punished by history,” Xi said in a speech ending the annual session of the National People’s Congress.

But a senior US official — visiting the island despite protests from Beijing — said on Wednesday that his country’s willingness to defend Taiwan’s democracy had never been stronger.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2018