China's newest and most powerful aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense. The transit occurred a day after Taiwan began a five-day military exercise simulating responses to a potential Chinese invasion.
This marks a significant movement for the Fujian, which previously transited the strait in a trial run last September and for the first time as a commissioned vessel in December. China views the self-governed island as part of its territory and has not ruled out military action to assert control. Beijing regularly dispatches naval vessels and aircraft towards Taiwan, with such military activities intensifying in recent years to become nearly daily occurrences.
The United States Navy, along with some allied nations, periodically sends warships through the Taiwan Strait as a signal to Beijing against any forceful attempts to claim the island. The Fujian, commissioned in November 2025, is noted as the world's largest non-nuclear-powered warship and is considered more advanced than China's other two carriers, the Shandong and the Liaoning. Taiwan's ongoing exercise is designed to bolster its readiness in the event of a Chinese military incursion.