As tensions between Beijing and Tokyo reach their highest level in more than a decade, China’s Ministry of National Defense has sharply rejected claims that the United States and Japan could sink its newest and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier, Fujian, in a Taiwan conflict—calling such scenarios “sheer fantasy” and “an overestimation of one’s own abilities.”
The war of words has escalated since November 7, when Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ignited a diplomatic storm by declaring during a parliamentary session that a hypothetical Chinese blockade or invasion of Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. The phrase is crucial: under Japan’s 2015 security legislation, it invokes the right to exercise collective self-defense alongside allies, indirectly signaling that Tokyo could deploy its Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to stop Chinese aggression against Taiwan.
Beijing reacted with fierce indignation. Chinese officials condemned Takaichi’s remarks as an unprecedented violation of the post-war political order and a direct challenge to China’s territorial “red lines.” Within hours, China lodged complaints with the United Nations, held a rare phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, and announced retaliatory measures including a suspension of Japanese seafood imports. What began as a diplomatic disagreement has now spiraled into the most volatile period in Sino-Japanese relations since the 2012 Senkaku Islands crisis.
The dispute intensified further on November 27 during a Chinese Ministry of National Defense briefing when a reporter referenced an article from The Sankei Shimbun, a conservative Japanese newspaper. The report argued that in a Taiwan conflict, U.S. naval forces and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) would possess the capability to sink Fujian, the PLAN’s (People’s Liberation Army Navy) newest carrier.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin rebuked the claim without hesitation. “It is nothing but sheer fantasy and an overestimation of one’s own abilities,” Jiang said, dismissing the Japanese report as irresponsible warmongering.
Although the Sankei article was published on November 7—days after the carrier’s official commissioning—its timing has been conflated with Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan. Beijing has denounced the article as an extension of Japan’s escalating military posture and a further sign that Tokyo is preparing for confrontation with China.
“The PLA has strong capabilities and reliable means to defeat any aggressors. Should the Japanese side dare to cross the red line and invite trouble, it is destined to pay a heavy price.”
Invoking history, Jiang added that China’s modern naval forces bear no resemblance to the vulnerable Qing-era fleet destroyed by Japan in the 1894–95 First Sino-Japanese War.
“The Fujian carrier is not Chih Yuen. History will never repeat. Those who challenge China’s core interests will perish.”
Within Japanese security circles, the rise of Fujian and China’s expanding carrier force has raised alarms about shifting power balances in East Asia. Sankei Shimbun characterized China’s latest flattop as part of an accelerating naval competition with the United States, writing:
“By installing ‘flying radar’ early warning aircraft and stealth fighters, China’s carrier groups can operate even in waters far from the mainland. They will be able to intercept U.S. or Japanese forces in the open ocean.”
Japan fears that China’s maturing carrier strike capabilities could significantly complicate U.S.-Japan efforts to defend Taiwan—or even Japan’s own territory.
Taiwan lies only 110 kilometers from Japan’s Yonaguni Island and 170 kilometers from the contested Senkaku Islands, waters that Chinese vessels regularly enter. A large-scale conflict over Taiwan would almost inevitably spill over into Japanese airspace and sea lanes.
For Tokyo, the stakes are existential:
A Chinese blockade of Taiwan could cut off Japan’s vital shipping lanes.
Chinese missiles targeting Taiwan could easily reach Okinawa or Sakishima islands.
PLAN forces transiting toward Taiwan could cross Japanese-administrated waters, risking direct clashes.
U.S. forces responding to a Taiwan conflict would rely heavily on Japanese bases, likely making those facilities Chinese targets.
For these reasons, Japanese defense planners now regard any Taiwan contingency as inseparable from the defense of the Japanese homeland.
Strategically, Fujian marks a major leap in China’s ability to sustain high-intensity operations far from its shores. The carrier is the country’s first CATOBAR platform—Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery—equipped with electromagnetic launch systems (EMALS). Only the U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford shares this technology.
This advancement enables Chinese fighter jets to take off with heavier payloads of missiles, fuel, and sensors, significantly extending their combat range.
A projected air wing of 50–60 aircraft, including J-35 stealth fighters, J-15T strike fighters, and KJ-600 airborne early warning planes.
Anti-submarine and naval drone platforms expected to join later.
A design optimized for quick sortie generation, extended operations, and long-range surveillance.
Fujian completed its catapult and arrested-landing trials earlier this year and was officially commissioned on November 5. The ship transited near the Taiwan Strait during trials in September, prompting close monitoring from the Japanese Defense Ministry.
If deployed in a Taiwan conflict, the carrier could:
Support air superiority missions over the strait
Extend surveillance coverage
Intercept U.S. reinforcements approaching from Guam, Hawaii, or Japan
Enforce a blockade intended to isolate Taiwan from international assistance
It is precisely this scenario that Japanese analysts warn would require the U.S.-Japan alliance to “prioritize the sinking of Fujian” early in a conflict to disrupt China’s naval momentum.
While Beijing touts Fujian as a triumph of Chinese engineering, some U.S. naval analysts have criticized the ship’s deck layout and operational limitations.
Former U.S. Navy Captain Carl Schuster and retired Lt. Cmdr. Keith Stewart told CNN that Fujian’s landing area is angled only six degrees off the centerline, compared to nine degrees on U.S. carriers. They argue this reduces available deck space for simultaneous takeoffs and landings—an important factor in rapid sortie generation.
They also note that the longer landing strip extends too close to the bow, potentially complicating launch cycles and aircraft repositioning.
Schuster estimated the carrier’s current operational effectiveness at “about 60%” of a U.S. Nimitz-class vessel.
China dismissed the criticism as sour grapes.
Jiang Bin rejected Western assessments outright, saying:
“Fujian’s combat capability will be demonstrated by facts. We have no comment on such ‘sour-grape’ claims.”
What began as a remark from Japan’s prime minister has now intertwined with Chinese nationalism, historical grievances, and the unveiling of China’s most powerful naval asset to date.
A diplomatic clash involving the U.S., Japan, and China
Intensified nationalist rhetoric in Beijing
A reset of Japan’s Taiwan strategy
Increased military signaling around the Taiwan Strait
Growing public discussion of war scenarios once considered unthinkable
With Tokyo now openly stating it may intervene if China moves on Taiwan, and Beijing escalating its rhetoric over Fujian, the region faces its most dangerous strategic standoff in years.
Neither side appears willing to back down—and the aircraft carrier Fujian now sits at the center of a geopolitical storm that could shape Asia’s security landscape for decades to come.
