Taipei: Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported that it employed joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance measures to monitor the movements of China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, as it recently transited the Taiwan Strait en route to the South China Sea. The ministry stated these measures were necessary to maintain full awareness of the carrier’s activities and to ensure an appropriate response.

According to Focus Taiwan, the Fujian’s transit was initially disclosed by Japan’s Ministry of Defense. The Joint Staff Office of Japan’s defense ministry reported that at around 1 p.m. on the day of the transit, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force observed the Fujian sailing southwest in waters approximately 200 kilometers northwest of the Diaoyutai (Senkaku) Islands. The aircraft carrier was accompanied by the guided-missile destroyers Hangzhou and Jinan.

China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the Fujian had passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct scientific resea
rch tests and training missions in the South China Sea. Senior Captain Leng Guowei, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army Navy, indicated that the tests and training were regular arrangements in the carrier’s construction process and not aimed at any specific target.

The Fujian, launched in 2022, is China’s third aircraft carrier following the Liaoning and the Shandong. It is still undergoing sea trials and is anticipated to enter service later this year, as reported by the local Chinese-language newspaper Liberty Times.