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China Sends Two Carriers Beyond First Island Chain, Boosting Pacific Reach

By carrying out more than 1,100 flight operations near Japan, Beijing signals its readiness to counter U.S. intervention ahead of the Fujian carrier’s entry into service.

Imagery captured by the ESA's Sentinel-2 satellites on June 22, 2025, shows the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong operating in the Philippine Sea in the Western Pacific Ocean. The Joint Staff Office of Japan's Defense Ministry said the Shandong carrier strike group returned to the South China Sea that day following a deployment alongside sister ship Liaoning that had lasted more than two weeks.
Photos of Chinese aircraft carriers Liaonging and Shandong. Japan MoD pictures.

Overview

  • The Liaoning and Shandong sailed together into the Western Pacific past the First Island Chain, marking the first dual carrier deployment at that distance.
  • Japan’s Defense Ministry reports about 1,120 takeoffs and landings between late May and June 22, including Liaoning’s initial operations east of Iwo Jima.
  • China’s third carrier, the Fujian, is expected to join the fleet by year-end with electromagnetic catapults enabling mass “deck load strikes.”
  • The People’s Liberation Army Navy employs a three-layer defense doctrine to sustain blue-water operations and deter U.S. forces in a potential Taiwan contingency.
  • The USS Nimitz has redeployed to the Middle East while Britain’s HMS Prince of Wales arrived in Singapore, reshaping Western naval posture in the Indo-Pacific.