The Latest Chinese Aircraft Carrier Sails Through the Taiwan Strait

SadaNews - China announced today (Friday) that its newest aircraft carrier, "Fujian," has crossed the Taiwan Strait to conduct "scientific research tests and training missions" in the South China Sea, according to the French Press Agency.

Captain Ling Guowei, spokesperson for the Chinese Navy, stated in a press release that "subjecting (Fujian) to tests and cross-regional training is a normal part of the process of building an aircraft carrier and is not directed at any specific target."

Any military movement in the Taiwan Strait is considered sensitive.

Beijing considers Taiwan a Chinese province that it has yet to unify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Beijing subjects the island to military, economic, and diplomatic pressures.

China currently has two aircraft carriers in active service: "Liaoning," which it purchased from Ukraine in 2000, and "Shandong," which is the first aircraft carrier built in China and entered service in 2019.

The aircraft carrier "Shandong" participated in military drills in the Taiwan Strait in April, simulating a "blockade," according to the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Army.