China’s newest aircraft carrier transits Taiwan Strait for final tests

The state-of-the-art Fujian is successful the last stages of investigating earlier it officially begins progressive work successful China’s navy.

China’s newest craft carrier transited done the Taiwan Strait arsenic portion of a probe and grooming workout earlier its introduction into service, according to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

PLAN spokesperson Senior Captain Leng Guowei said connected Friday that the Fujian was bound for the South China Sea, wherever it volition acquisition testing.

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“The cross-regional tests and grooming are a regular ngo of the carrier’s operation process and bash not people immoderate circumstantial objects,” Leng said, according to Chinese authorities media.

The 80,000-tonne Fujian has not been officially commissioned for service, but it volition soon articulation the Liaoning and Shandong vessels arsenic China’s 3rd and astir precocious craft carrier.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese subject affairs expert, told China’s State-run quality outlet Global Times that the Fujian’s probe travel to the South China Sea is simply a motion the craft bearer is astir complete. It earlier underwent tests successful the East China Sea and Yellow Sea.

The Fujian’s way was not unexpected, arsenic Chinese authorities media shared photos and videos of the craft bearer leaving Shanghai’s shipyard connected Wednesday.

A measurement guardant for China's bluish h2o navy.

🇨🇳China's 3rd craft carrier, the Fujian passes done Taiwan Straits to clasp tests, grooming successful #SouthChinaSea.

By the way, the Taiwan Strait is not 'international waters'.

The Fujian is China's archetypal afloat domestically… pic.twitter.com/3ffANYEbMH

— Shen Shiwei 沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) September 12, 2025

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force connected Thursday spotted the Fujian sailing adjacent the disputed but uninhabited Senkaku Islands, successful the absorption of the Taiwan Strait, accompanied by 2 PLAN destroyers.

The Senkaku Islands are known arsenic the Diaoyu Islands successful China and the Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan.

The Fujian is conscionable the 2nd craft bearer successful the world, aft the USS Gerald Ford, to big an electromagnetic catapult strategy that makes it easier for craft to instrumentality disconnected and land.

Developing specified a motorboat strategy is simply a motion that the exertion spread betwixt China and the US is closing, according to maritime adept and erstwhile United States Air Force Colonel Ray Powell, but determination are inactive immoderate limitations.

The Fujian is 20 percent smaller than US ace craft carriers and conventionally powered alternatively than nuclear-powered, Powell said.

The existent situation for China, Powell told Al Jazeera, volition beryllium crewing its craft carriers arsenic the PLAN volition request to disagreement seasoned unit members betwixt the 3 carriers: Fujian, Liaoning and Shandong.

“China is closing the hardware gap, but processing the operational expertise for effectual blue-water bearer ops is what the US has spent astir a period perfecting,” helium said.

While nary day has been announced yet for the Fujian’s authoritative committee into progressive service, the US Naval Institute (USNI) said it is expected to “coincide with a day that holds humanities value to China”.

Possible dates see September 18, the day of Japan’s 1931 penetration of Manchuria, oregon China’s October 1 nationalist holiday, the USNI said.