BEIJING—China said Wednesday it was committed to promoting peace and stability in Asia, even as it sent an aircraft carrier battle group through the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions between Beijing and the self-ruled island.

The statement in the preface to a Cabinet report on China’s policies on Asia-Pacific security cooperation follows heated criticism from the U.S., Japan and others over Beijing’s increasingly robust assertions of its maritime claims, particularly in the South China Sea.

The report made no direct reference to such concerns while casting Beijing as a force for economic development and conflict reduction.

The report reiterated China’s claims over South China Sea islands and waters, as well as territories in the East China Sea controlled by Japan. It also expressed strong opposition to the deployment by the U.S. and South Korea of an advanced missile-defense system to counter threats from North Korea, saying that would “seriously damage the regional strategic balance and the strategic security interests of China and other countries in the region.”

China’s rapid military modernization has raised concerns about its intentions, particularly regarding Taiwan, which it claims as its territory. Earlier Wednesday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it was keeping an eye on China’s sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and its battle group as it passed through the 100-mile-wide strait separating Taiwan from southeastern China.

A ministry statement said the Liaoning was traveling northwest along the center line dividing the strait and urged the public not to be alarmed.

China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949, and Beijing has never renounced its threat to use force if it considers that necessary to prevent the island’s permanent independence from the mainland.

Relations have deteriorated since Taiwan elected last year an independence-leaning president, Tsai Ing-wen. Chinese officials have warned of more turbulence ahead unless she endorses Beijing’s view that Taiwan is part of China.

China has been steadily ratcheting up pressure, discouraging Chinese tourists from visiting the island and intervening to prevent its participation in international forums.

“Looking ahead in 2017, the development of cross-strait relations faces increased levels of uncertainty and the challenge of risk has risen,” Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the China cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters Wednesday.