Two Chinese aircraft carriers conduct simultaneous drills in Pacific for first time

Japan Times

4 hours ago

China's two operating aircraft carriers have been spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time, according to Japan's Defense Ministry, as Beijing continues to highlight its growing military prowess ever farther from its shores.
The ministry said late Monday that the Shandong had been spotted along with four other Chinese warships in Japan's exclusive economic zone about 550 kilometers southeast of Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture on Saturday. The fleet was then spotted Monday in the EEZ north of Okinotorishima, Japan's southernmost island, where it conducted flight operations with fighter jets and helicopters.
The other aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, had been spotted operating off Minamitorishima, Japan's easternmost island, on Saturday and Sunday, making it the first Chinese aircraft carrier to cross the so-called second island chain, which covers a stretch of islands from Japan to Guam and the islands of Micronesia, the Defense Ministry said.
'They are trying to enhance the operational capabilities in far territories,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Monday when asked about the move.
Beijing said that the Chinese vessels' activities were fully consistent with international law and international practices.
"China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. We hope Japan will view those activities objectively and rationally," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Monday.
Officials say the moves highlight the Chinese Navy's growing ability to punch through the second island chain.
China's Shandong aircraft carrier is seen in the Pacific Ocean. The Defense Ministry in Tokyo said late Monday that the vessel had been spotted in Japan's exclusive economic zone north of Okinotorishima, where it conducted flight operations with fighter jets and helicopters. |
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China routinely sends its vessels through the first island chain, which strings together the southern Ryukyu Islands and the Philippines. The island chain is home to numerous U.S. and Japanese military bases.
Both island chains are seen by Beijing as Cold War relics being used to contain China and limit its access to the Pacific.
Late last month, the Defense Ministry in Tokyo announced for the first time that China had sent the Liaoning into the East China Sea, some 200 km from the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, for practice deploying fighter jets. The Senkakus are also claimed by China, which calls them the Diaoyu.
In another first, the Liaoning passed through a narrow waterway between Yonaguni and Iriomote islands in Okinawa Prefecture last September. Though that sailing was legal under international law, the Japanese government called it 'unacceptable from the perspective of the security environment of Japan and the region.'
Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost island, sits just 110 km east of flash point Taiwan.
China claims Taiwan as a renegade province that must be united with the mainland, by force if necessary. It routinely sends warships and warplanes around the island for large-scale military drills that the Defense Ministry in Tokyo says have 'demonstrated at least part of Beijing's invasion strategy.'
Beijing has poured funds into its aircraft carrier program, with its third and most advanced aircraft carrier, known as the Fujian, set for commissioning in the near future. The carrier began sea trials in May 2024 and embarked on an eighth round of trials last month.
Beijing has characterized the Fujian as 'one of the most important' pieces of military hardware it is working on — and one that will take it closer to its goal of projecting its military far beyond its shores as leader Xi Jinping aims to build a 'world-class military' by the middle of the century.