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 aircraft carrier Fujian has been conducting test and training missions as scheduled since its commissioning, and the vessel is making steady progress toward the goal of developing formation-oriented, systematic combat capabilities, China's Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.

At a Thursday press conference, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin made the remarks in response to a Global Times question about whether the Fujian's training missions were progressing smoothly, after authorities on the island of Taiwan claimed at the end of 2025 that the vessel had sailed northward through the Taiwan Straits for the first time since its commissioning.

The commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, was held at a naval port in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province on November 5, 2025, Xinhua News Agency reported at the time.

Less than two weeks later, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy announced on November 18, 2025 that the Fujian had already conducted its first live-fire maritime training in a carrier formation. During the mission, the aircraft carrier formation composed of the Fujian, the Yan'an, the Tongliao, and other vessels successively conducted training in multiple subjects including formation navigation, joint ship-aircraft search and rescue, and carrier-based aircraft takeoff and landing. Multiple types of carrier-based aircraft such as the J-35 stealth fighter jet, J-15T heavy fighter jet, J-15DT electronic warfare aircraft and KJ-600 early warning aircraft have successively completed multiple sorties of catapult takeoffs and deck landings on the Fujian, which has effectively verified the ship's electromagnetic catapult, recovery and flight deck operation capabilities, and further validated ship-aircraft compatibility.

On December 17, 2025, the defense authority on the island of Taiwan claimed that it had spotted the aircraft carrier Fujian transiting through the Taiwan Straits a day earlier.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Thursday that the Fujian has only been commissioned for a short time. Having conducted relevant tests and training in the South China Sea earlier, the vessel later sailed northward through the Taiwan Straits. In essence, this should be considered cross-sea training. 

The aircraft carrier needs to familiarize itself with the maritime characteristics of different sea areas as soon as possible. The cross-sea training also serves as a practical test and trial for all onboard systems of the Fujian, Zhang said, noting that there are distinct differences in the environmental conditions of different sea areas, and the hydrological and meteorological conditions in the South China Sea are markedly different from those in the East China Sea. Conducting cross-sea training is precisely to enable the aircraft carrier to adapt to the actual environments of various sea areas.

The Fujian is also expected to conduct compatibility training between the aircraft carrier and its carrier-based aircraft as well as coordination training within the aircraft carrier formation, with a focus on coordinated operations and command and control between the aircraft carrier and its accompanying ships, Zhang said.

The Fujian is China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, so various operational manuals, combat regulations and operational procedures all need to be explored and verified through tests and simulation exercises, based on which relevant implementation plans are formulated. It is good to hear that the missions are progressing smoothly, Zhang said.