Japan's armed forces spot China's biggest aircraft carrier for first time

By Sakura Murakami

 

China’s biggest and most advanced aircraft carrier was spotted in the East China Sea on Thursday by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, marking the first time the Fujian was sighted by Japan.

 

The ship was sailing about 200 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of a disputed cluster of islands called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. A Japanese P-3C aircraft spotted three vessels and gathered information, according to a statement released by Japan’s Joint Staff Office.   The Fujian, China’s third aircraft carrier, is a key part of President Xi Jinping’s ambitions to develop a “world-class” military by 2049. It has a displacement of more than 80,000 tons.

 

The ship was launched in June 2022 before conducting its first sea trial two years later in May 2024. It must undergo performance tests for its engine and weapon systems before entering full service. 

 

China’s military has become increasingly active in the region, raising alarm in Japan, even as Tokyo seeks to preserve economic ties with its neighbor and biggest trading partner. 

 

In June, Japan said it had observed the two other Chinese aircraft carriers, Shandong and Liaoning, operating simultaneously near Japanese islands in the Pacific Ocean for the first time. A Chinese military aircraft entered Japanese airspace the previous August, in an unprecedented move. 

 

Economic ties appeared to have thawed slightly after China restarted some seafood imports from Japan earlier this year, while simmering military tensions were highlighted by a military parade held in Beijing last week to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War Two.