China Sends Fujian Carrier Through Taiwan Strait as Taiwan Starts 5-Day Drill
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 23
China Sends Fujian Carrier Through Taiwan Strait as Taiwan Starts 5-Day Drill
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 23
Summary
Taiwan said China’s Fujian aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, a day after the island began a five-day exercise for responding to a possible Chinese attack.
The transit spotlights Beijing’s growing military pressure on Taiwan, which China claims as its territory and says it could take by force; Chinese warships and aircraft now operate near the island almost daily.
Fujian is China’s newest and most powerful carrier, commissioned in November 2025 and described by the U.S. Naval Institute as the world’s largest nonnuclear-powered warship.
The passage was Fujian’s latest strait crossing after a September 2025 trial run and its first transit as a commissioned vessel in December, underscoring China’s expanding naval reach in the waterway.
In late June 2026, tensions in the Taiwan Strait escalated as China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the strait just as Taiwan began its five-day Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise. The Fujian, a major upgrade in China’s naval power, can carry more and heavier-armed jet fighters than older carriers, showcasing Beijing’s growing military capabilities. These simultaneous maneuvers highlight the ongoing military posturing between China and Taiwan, reflecting persistent regional tensions and the increasing risk of miscalculation or conflict in this strategically vital area.