TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian, passed through the Taiwan Strait recently, en route to open-water testing in the South China Sea.
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a division director at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the carrier is testing its capabilities in complex sea conditions and that the trip also serves as a political bargaining chip in US–China negotiations, per CNA.
Su said the carrier previously conducted sea trials in the East China Sea and in the North Sea areas west of the “first island chain,” where conditions are relatively calm. The South China Sea, he added, is deeper and more complex.
He said the new carrier has a displacement of 80,000 tonnes, while older carriers Liaoning and Shandong displace about 60,000 tonnes. Fujian’s larger tonnage allows it to carry more carrier-based aircraft.
Fujian uses an electromagnetic catapult, enabling it to launch a fully fueled and armed fighter from the deck roughly once per minute, giving the aircraft a strike radius of 1,200 to 1,500 kilometers.
China is expected to hold a commissioning ceremony for the Fujian on Oct. 1. After commissioning, the ship will need time to integrate carrier-based aircraft and its battle group before becoming fully combat-ready.
Once Fujian is operational, China will have three carrier groups — allowing one in port for maintenance, one in the South China Sea, and one patrolling the Western Pacific east of Taiwan.
The carrier will be equipped with KJ-600 early warning aircraft, potentially extending its defensive coverage beyond 600 kilometers. Among Taiwan’s air-launched anti-ship missiles, the longest-range system is identified as the AGM-84K Harpoon Extended Range with a maximum range of about 270 kilometers, suggesting a 350–400 km standoff gap to overcome.
Su said Chinese aggression against Taiwan would likely involve carriers enforcing a long-range blockade. He urged Taiwan to accelerate domestic submarine development in response.
