TAIPEI, Taiwan — China’s newest and most capable aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Taiwan’s defense ministry announced, coming just one day after Taiwan launched a five-day military drill focused on responding to a potential Chinese military invasion.
The Fujian carrier had previously made a test run through the narrow waterway that separates China and Taiwan back in September of last year. It then made its first transit through the strait as a fully operational commissioned warship in December.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, even though the island governs itself independently. China has not taken the option of military force off the table when it comes to bringing Taiwan under its control. In recent years, Chinese military activity near Taiwan has grown increasingly frequent, with naval vessels and warplanes now approaching the island on an almost daily basis.
Taiwan launched its own five-day military exercise on Monday, designed to test and strengthen its ability to respond in the event of a Chinese invasion attempt.
The United States Navy routinely sends warships through the Taiwan Strait, as do some allied nations, as a signal to Beijing that any forceful move to claim the island would not go unchallenged.
The Fujian was officially commissioned in November 2025. According to the U.S. Naval Institute, it holds the distinction of being the world’s largest non-nuclear-powered warship and is regarded as more technologically advanced than China’s two other carriers, the Shandong and the Liaoning.
