China's Liaoning Carrier Group Conducts Flight Operations East of Luzon as USS George Washington Trains Nearby
Updated
Updated · USNI News · May 26
China's Liaoning Carrier Group Conducts Flight Operations East of Luzon as USS George Washington Trains Nearby
10 articles · Updated · USNI News · May 26
Japan said the Liaoning carrier strike group was conducting flight operations Tuesday in the Philippine Sea east of Luzon, after spotting it about 880 kilometers southwest of Okinotori Island a day earlier.
The group — led by carrier Liaoning and including four escorts — left on May 19 for a Western Pacific deployment that China said would test far-seas tactical flight, live firing and search-and-rescue capabilities.
Japan's destroyer JS Asahi shadowed the formation, which likely entered through the Luzon Strait; Taiwan has acknowledged sighting it, while the Philippines and Taiwan have issued no formal statements on the transit.
The deployment puts Liaoning in the same broader operating area as USS George Washington, which left Yokosuka on Saturday for carrier qualification training ahead of its first spring patrol of 2026.
As US and Chinese carriers converge, are they signaling deterrence or rehearsing for a future naval conflict?
With China's undersea sensor network growing, is the era of unchallenged US submarine dominance in the Pacific ending?