Overview

• China's navy said the carrier transited the Taiwan Strait en route to the South China Sea for scientific research trials and training.
• Japan’s Self-Defense Forces reported their first sighting of the Fujian in the East China Sea, about 200 kilometers northwest of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.
• A Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft observed three vessels and collected information, according to Japan’s Joint Staff Office.
• The Fujian remains uncommissioned after sea trials that began in 2024, following its 2022 launch and ahead of further engine and weapons testing.
• The 80,000-plus-ton ship is China’s most advanced carrier, which Beijing describes as conducting routine construction-phase trials not aimed at any specific target.