3 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · Jun 24
Summary
Fujian, China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, passed through the Taiwan Strait on June 24, a day after Taiwan began a five-day exercise to raise combat readiness.
A photo released by Taiwan’s defense ministry showed the carrier with an empty deck, a sign analysts said could indicate it was operating in a low-threat posture.
Taiwanese defense officials said the drill focuses on the period just before a conflict, testing whether units can rapidly prepare and deploy after receiving orders.
The transit places a high-profile PLA naval movement alongside Taiwan’s latest readiness exercise, underscoring the military pressure and signaling around the strait.
Why did China's most advanced carrier sail with an empty deck through the tense Taiwan Strait?
As warships pass, is China's 'grey-zone' fleet the real threat to Taiwan's control of its waters?
Fujian’s First Taiwan Strait Transit: China’s Naval Leap and the 2026 Cross-Strait Crisis
Overview
On June 22, 2026, cross-strait tensions escalated as China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, transited the Taiwan Strait while Taiwan launched its five-day 'Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise.' This simultaneous military posturing highlighted the region’s heightened alert. The Fujian, commissioned in late 2025, is a CATOBAR carrier equipped with three Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS), enabling it to launch heavier, better-armed aircraft. These developments mark a significant leap in China’s naval capabilities and signal a new phase of strategic competition and military readiness between China and Taiwan.