Beijing: China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has recently navigated through the Taiwan Strait, showcasing the nation’s growing naval capabilities that could potentially be leveraged against the United States, according to a defense expert.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Fujian, which was launched in 2022, follows the Liaoning and Shandong as China’s third aircraft carrier, boasting a full-load displacement of over 80,000 tons. The state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait to “carry out scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. Senior Captain Leng Guowei, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army Navy, emphasized that these operations were “not aimed at any specific target” but were regular procedures in the carrier’s construction process.
However, Su Tzu-yun, a division director at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), pointed out the political implications of the sea trials in the South China Sea. He suggested that with three aircraft carriers, China could use this growing strength as leverage against the United States, especially with an expected meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump on the horizon.
The Fujian has previously been tested in the calmer East and Yellow Seas, and its recent transit through the Taiwan Strait to the South China Sea indicates an assessment of its performance in deeper, more challenging waters, Su explained.
Chieh Chung, an adjunct researcher at the INDSR, noted that China is likely to hold a commissioning ceremony for the Fujian on October 1. However, even after this event, the carrier will need to conduct training for its carrier-based aircraft units. Su elaborated that the Fujian’s electromagnetic catapult system enables it to launch one fighter jet per minute, allowing it to carry more aircraft on deck.
Once fully operational, the Fujian will give China three aircraft carrier strike groups, theoretically allowing one carrier to undergo maintenance, another to lead a strike group training in the South China Sea, while the third patrols the western Pacific east of Taiwan. This new posture could significantly impact Taiwan’s military defense operations, Chieh warned, as Taiwan’s military might no longer be able to intercept Chinese carrier strike groups in strategic waterways before they reach the western Pacific.
Taiwan’s Navy and Air Force units stationed in the east would be directly exposed to the long-range strike capabilities of these Chinese carrier strike groups, posing a severe challenge to its military forces, Chieh added. If China were to initiate military action against Taiwan, its aircraft carriers could enforce a long-range blockade, conducting denial operations in the Pacific between Guam and Taiwan. Su emphasized the importance of Taiwan developing domestically built submarines to counter such threats, alongside relying on anti-ship missiles as basic countermeasures.
