China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday (Dec 16), Taiwan’s defence ministry said, marking the vessel’s first known transit of the sensitive waterway since it formally entered service last month.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said the carrier had passed through the strait the previous day and that Taiwanese forces had closely monitored the movement throughout its passage. The ministry released a grainy black-and-white photograph of the ship, showing no aircraft on its flight deck. It did not disclose where the image was taken or provide further operational details.
China’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the transit.
Speaking to lawmakers, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the Fujian was likely en route to Shanghai’s Changxing Island, home to China’s primary naval shipbuilding facilities. Koo added that Taiwanese forces had not observed the carrier conducting any military drills or exercises during the passage.
The transit comes amid near-daily reports by Taipei of Chinese military activity around the island, which Taiwan views as part of a sustained pressure campaign by Beijing against its democratically elected government. China considers Taiwan its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
The Taiwan Strait, a narrow body of water separating Taiwan from mainland China, is a major international shipping route. China maintains that it has sovereignty over the strait, a claim rejected by Taiwan and the United States, which say the waterway constitutes international waters.
Later on Wednesday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said China had also conducted a “joint combat readiness patrol” near the island beginning in the morning. The patrol involved 23 Chinese military aircraft and several warships, the ministry said. The aircraft included J-10 fighter jets and H-6K bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, according to the statement.
The Fujian’s passage through the strait follows earlier movements during its testing phase. In September, the carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait and into the disputed South China Sea as part of sea trials, before its formal commissioning into the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
The Fujian is China’s third aircraft carrier and represents a significant leap in the country’s naval capabilities. Unlike China’s first two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, which are based on older Russian designs, the Fujian features a flat flight deck and electromagnetic catapult launch systems. These catapults allow aircraft to take off with heavier payloads and more fuel, potentially extending their range and combat effectiveness.
Military analysts say the Fujian will be able to carry more aircraft, and more heavily armed ones, than its predecessors, which rely on ski-jump ramps for take-off. The new carrier is also expected to host a broader range of aircraft, including fixed-wing early-warning planes that can significantly enhance situational awareness at sea. In the longer term, it is expected to deploy China’s first carrier-capable stealth fighter jets.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the Fujian’s commissioning and flag-presentation ceremony in the southern island province of Hainan last month and boarded the vessel for an inspection tour, underscoring the political and symbolic importance Beijing attaches to the ship.
For Taiwan, the carrier’s transit highlights the growing sophistication of China’s military presence in waters surrounding the island. Taiwan’s government has repeatedly rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims, insisting that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
As cross-strait tensions remain high, the Fujian’s first post-commissioning journey through the Taiwan Strait is likely to be closely watched by regional neighbours and the United States, which has expressed concern about China’s expanding military capabilities and its implications for stability in the Indo-Pacific.
