China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has sailed through the Taiwan Strait and into the South China Sea as part of ongoing sea trials, according to the Chinese navy. The voyage, described as a “routine arrangement” for testing and training, was not directed at any specific target, Beijing said. First unveiled in 2022, the Fujian is China’s third carrier and has yet to officially enter service.
The carrier’s movements come as U.S. Marines and Japanese forces conduct joint drills on Okinawa, testing the Typhon missile system and other advanced anti-ship weapons until September 25. Japan’s defense ministry confirmed that the Fujian, escorted by two missile destroyers, sailed southwest into the East China Sea toward Taiwan. Taiwan’s defense ministry said it has been closely monitoring the situation through joint intelligence and surveillance operations.
China has intensified its military activities around Taiwan over the past five years, staging frequent drills to reinforce its sovereignty claims. Taiwan, backed by the United States and its allies, rejects Beijing’s authority, insisting that only its people can decide the island’s future. While Beijing views the Taiwan Strait as territorial waters, much of the international community recognizes it as an open waterway.
The South China Sea, another hotspot of military friction, remains contested by several nations including the Philippines and Vietnam. The Fujian, designed and built domestically, is larger and more technologically advanced than China’s other carriers, the Shandong and Liaoning. Equipped with electromagnetic catapults, it can launch a wider range of aircraft, including early-warning planes and future carrier-based stealth jets.
Security analysts are closely tracking the Fujian’s trials to assess China’s ability to conduct full-scale carrier operations with its escort ships and submarines—an important step in expanding its naval power projection.