Recently, the aircraft carrier formation Fujian of the PLA Navy conducts multi-subject maritime training, marking the first live-force maritime training since its commissioning, the PLA Navy announces in a statement on November 18, 2025. Photo: Screenshot from the official WeChat account of the PLA Navy

The defense authority on the island of Taiwan claimed on Wednesday that it spotted the aircraft carrier Fujian of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy transiting through the Taiwan Straits on Tuesday. Chinese mainland experts said that the alleged voyage is likely a normal arrangement to boost the capability of the newly commissioned aircraft carrier.

In a post on social media platform X on Wednesday, the island's so-called defense authority said its armed forces had "monitored" the situation and responded. It further claimed that, as of 6 am Wednesday, it had detected nine sorties of PLA aircraft and seven PLA Navy vessels operating around Taiwan, adding that five of the nine aircraft sorties crossed the so-called "median line" and entered the island's self-claimed northern and southwestern air defense identification zone.

Mainland's Ministry of National Defense has previously stated that Taiwan is a part of China and that there is no such thing as a "median line of the Taiwan Straits," according to spokesperson Jiang Bin.

This is not the first time the Fujian has sailed through the Taiwan Straits. On September 12, Captain Leng Guowei, a PLA Navy spokesperson, said in a statement that China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, passed through the Taiwan Straits to carry out scientific research tests and training missions in the South China Sea at that time. The cross-sea tests and training of the Fujian is a normal arrangement in the aircraft carrier's construction process, and it is not aimed at any specific target, Leng said.

According to official reports, the Fujian was constructed in Shanghai. After its entry into the South China Sea via the Taiwan Straits in September, the carrier eventually was commissioned at a naval port in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province on November 5.

Citing the head of defense authority on the island of Taiwan, media on the island claimed that the Fujian could be returning to its shipyard in Shanghai for improvements, given no aircraft was spotted on the flight deck.

Chinese mainland military affairs expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times on Wednesday that the possible destination of the Fujian's alleged northward transit through the Taiwan Straits could indeed be its shipyard in Shanghai. 

Song said that after conducting intensive tests and training in the South China Sea for the first time, it would make sense if the carrier needs some maintenance and adjustments.

However, it is also possible that the Fujian could conduct additional training and exercises, Wang Yunfei, another Chinese mainland military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

A similar occurrence took place six years ago, when the defense authority on the island claimed it spotted the PLA Navy's second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, during a transit through the Taiwan Straits and then sailed northward on December 26, 2019. Before this, the Shandong first made a transit through the Taiwan Straits and sailed southward on November 17, 2019, before it was commissioned on December 17, 2019, also at a naval port in Sanya, according to media reports at the time.

There is no need for the defense authority on the island of Taiwan to make a fuss, as transits of PLA Navy warships through the Taiwan Straits are very normal arrangement, Wang said.

When asked whether the Fujian will continue trial voyages after its commissioning and when it will achieve actual combat capability, Leng, the PLA Navy spokesperson said on November 8 that as China's first electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier, the Fujian is a landmark piece of equipment for the PLA Navy's leapfrog development. Many of its systems and technologies are being put into practical use for the first time. After commissioning, the warship will continue to carry out in-depth testing to further assess the stability of the platform system. Meanwhile, it will carry out carrier-aircraft adaptation, formation system training and other tasks as planned to continuously enhance its combat capabilities.

The Fujian is the PLA Navy's third aircraft carrier, also the first domestically made carrier that uses catapults. With a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons, the carrier is equipped with electromagnetic catapults and arresting devices, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Wednesday also marked the sixth anniversary of the aircraft carrier Shandong's commissioning. The PLA Navy said in a statement that the Shandong, having just completed its final maritime training mission of the year, successfully returned to a naval port in Sanya.

Over the past six years, the aircraft carrier Shandong has repeatedly crossed island chains, continuously extending its operational reach. In engagements with formidable rivals, it has consistently enhanced its integrated combat capabilities, the PLA Navy said.