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The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has reportedly operated all three of its aircraft carriers in exercises or tests over the past week for the first time. This demonstration of "strength" by the PLAN coincides with the 12th anniversary of its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
China has commissioned two aircraft carriers: the Liaoning, a Soviet-era vessel that entered service in 2012, and the Shandong, its first domestically constructed carrier. The third carrier, Fujian, is the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier China has built, featuring a sophisticated aircraft launching system. Fujian has undergone sea trials but has not yet been commissioned.
According to the Global Times, the official publication of the Chinese Communist Party, China's aircraft carrier program is rapidly advancing. The Liaoning has conducted routine exercises in waters including the West Pacific to enhance its combat readiness, stated Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.
Each carrier operates on a deployment cycle, spending only a portion of that time on station. When not deployed, the ships may be in one of three other phases: in transit to or from the operational area, in their home port for maintenance and crew training, or at sea for brief crew training or operations. Both conventionally powered and nuclear-powered carriers experience several deployment cycles within a single operating cycle, which is the period between major overhauls.
Type 001
The Liaoning aircraft carrier (Type 001) was observed north of Taiwan and near Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Defense reported detecting the movements of the Chinese navy within its economic waters—an area that extends 200 nautical miles beyond its territorial sea. An aircraft carrier typically operates with a group of warships, known as a Carrier Battle Group (CBG).
Japan indicated that the group traveled from the East China Sea, passing between the Yonaguni and Iriomote islands—both under Japanese jurisdiction—toward the Philippine Sea. This marks the first instance of Chinese warships entering Japan's contiguous waters, which Japan termed "completely unacceptable." Territorial waters differ from a nation's Exclusive Economic Zone.
Type 002
The Shandong aircraft carrier (Type 002) recently conducted a certification test for night-time operations involving a group of new fighter jet pilots during a combat exercise in the South China Sea, as reported by state-run CCTV.
The aim of the exercise was to enhance its "round-the-clock" all-domain combat capabilities, as more fighter jets are now capable of being launched from aircraft carriers, according to CCTV.
Type 003
Meanwhile, the third aircraft carrier, Fujian, has been at sea for the fourth time as of September 3 to conduct further sea trials, according to Newsweek. Fujian had its maiden trials in May this year.
Fujian was in the Bohai Sea when satellite imagery captured the warship conducting a replenishment test on Tuesday. The carrier departed from Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard for these trials and is expected to return to Shanghai on Saturday after navigating the Yellow Sea.