The Chinese aircraft carrier the ‌Liaoning sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Monday, the Taiwanese defense ministry said, in the first transit of the sensitive waterway by such a vessel since late last year.

Taiwan, which Beijing ‌views as its territory, reports almost daily Chinese ​military activity around the island in what Taipei views as an ongoing pressure campaign against ⁠the democratically elected government.

In a brief statement, the ministry ​said the Liaoning had passed through the strait and Taiwan's ⁠armed forces maintained "close and continuous surveillance throughout."

The ministry showed a black-and-white picture of the ship with several fighter jets and helicopters ‌visible on its deck.

It provided no other ​details. China's defense ‌ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The last time Taiwan ‌reported a Chinese carrier in the strait was mid-December, when the Fujian, China's newest and most advanced carrier, passed ⁠through the waterway.

The Liaoning ‌is the oldest ⁠of China's three operating aircraft carriers.

In early December, the same ship ⁠held ⁠drills in waters close to Japan's southwest island chain.

China says it alone has ‌sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait, a position rejected by both Taipei and Washington which say it is international waters.

The U.S. navy ‌sends ​warships through the ‌strait every few months, as do occasionally some U.S. allies.

On Friday, China said it monitored a Japanese ​warship's transit in the strait, calling the move "a deliberate provocation."