Overview

• China’s navy said the uncommissioned Fujian passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct scientific research, test and training missions in the South China Sea.
• It was the carrier’s first transit of the strait, and the ship remains in sea trials ahead of formal commissioning.
• Japan’s Joint Staff Office reported spotting Fujian with two destroyers northwest of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, with official photos showing an empty flight deck.
• Satellite imagery reviewed by open-source analysts also placed the carrier group in the East China Sea en route south.
• Fujian is China’s most advanced carrier with electromagnetic catapults and an 80,000‑plus ton displacement, and while analysts expect commissioning soon or on a symbolic date, no date has been announced.