The waterway -- which separates China from self-ruled, democratic Taiwan -- is a flashpoint for the world's navies.

China regards Taiwan as its territory and has vowed repeatedly to seize one day, by force if necessary.

Washington, Taipei's most important ally, says the strait is an international waterway and has carried out so-called "freedom of navigation" operations to push the point.

In a short statement sent to AFP via text message, Taiwan's defence ministry confirmed the passage of China's Shandong aircraft carrier on Friday.

"(We) emphasise that we are aware and monitoring all Chinese PLA aircrafts and ships operating in surrounding areas of Taiwan Strait," the statement read.

The sail-by came hours before a highly anticipated phonecall between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, scheduled at 9:00 am Washington time (1300 GMT), over the Ukraine crisis.

Such movements of warships in the 180-kilometre-wide strait are not uncommon.

The last time the Shandong sailed through it was December 2020 -- a day after a US warship had made the same passage.

In December 2019, weeks before Taiwanese voters went to the polls, the Shandong also had a sail-by.

China-Taiwan relations have been especially frosty since President Tsai Ing-wen -- who rejects Beijing's view that the island is part of "One China" -- first took office in 2016.

China has massively ramped up its sabre-rattling in recent years, sending 969 Chinese warplanes into Taiwan's air defence zone in 2020, according to a database compiled by AFP -- more than double the roughly 380 in 2020.

Under Biden's administration, Washington has stood by Taipei -- so far approving at least two arms deals to the island to support its air and missile defence systems -- a massive point of contention for Beijing which says such support "seriously undermines" US-China relations.