In a context of growing strategic rivalry between China and the United States, Beijing has reached a new milestone in its naval power projection capabilities. According to an article [**published**](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/world/asia/china-carriers-us-japan.html) by the New York Times on July 17, 2025, the Chinese navy conducted, between late May and much of June, large-scale exercises involving two of its three aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, operating simultaneously in waters near Japan and beyond. This operation explicitly demonstrates China's intention to assert its military presence in the western Pacific, a region historically dominated by the U.S. Navy.
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The Liaoning and the Shandong represent the cornerstone of China’s emerging carrier strike capabilities (Picture source: Weibo/@央广军事 )
The Liaoning and the Shandong represent the cornerstone of China’s emerging carrier strike capabilities. The Liaoning, commissioned in 2012, is a refurbished Soviet Kuznetsov-class carrier purchased from Ukraine, while the Shandong, launched in 2017 and commissioned in 2019, is the first carrier entirely built in China. Both vessels are classified as STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) carriers, utilizing a ski-jump ramp for aircraft launches. The Liaoning can embark around 24 Shenyang J-15 fighter jets along with a complement of helicopters for anti-submarine warfare, early warning, and rescue operations. The Shandong offers improved design efficiencies and a larger air wing, capable of hosting approximately 36 aircraft, enhancing China's operational flexibility.
The exercises were marked by repeated takeoffs and landings of fighter jets and helicopters, with up to ninety operations per day according to Japan’s joint staff. Each carrier was escorted by several warships. It was the first time that two Chinese aircraft carriers ventured together beyond the so-called first island chain, a strategic line stretching from Okinawa to Taiwan, advancing toward Guam, the U.S. military base located within the second island chain. Christopher Sharman, director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College, noted that this progression increases the risk for American forces operating around Guam, which now face a more pronounced Chinese military presence.
The Chinese military stated that these exercises aimed to improve "far-sea defense" and "joint operations." According to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, the two carrier groups even engaged in a simulated confrontation. Japan's Ministry of Defense also reported that some Chinese fighter jets flew dangerously close to Japanese surveillance aircraft. Beyond the show of strength, these maneuvers reflect a clear objective to gain essential operational experience for conducting missions in distant maritime areas, as Sharman emphasized. Such expertise could prove critical for supporting Beijing's ambitions in the Pacific and elsewhere.
China currently possesses three aircraft carriers, all diesel-powered, compared to eleven nuclear-powered carriers operated by the United States. A fourth carrier, the Fujian, launched in 2022 and is still undergoing trials, is equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system, a significant technological leap that could allow the launch of heavier and better-armed aircraft. This system differentiates it from the ski-jump designs of the Liaoning and Shandong and brings it closer to U.S. naval standards. Beijing plans to operate six carriers by 2040, with at least one potentially nuclear-powered vessel under construction. Timothy Heath, a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation, suggests that these ships will enable China to conduct diverse naval air missions across global waters, with particular attention to strategic commercial routes linking China to the Middle East via the Indian Ocean. However, these developments do not guarantee automatic maritime dominance for Beijing in the region. In a potential Sino-American confrontation, carriers on both sides would remain vulnerable to torpedoes and missile strikes.
Nonetheless, Chinese aircraft carriers could play a key role in enforcing a blockade on Taiwan. Narushige Michishita, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, points out that these vessels would allow extensive maritime surveillance and exert coercive pressure on both military and commercial shipping. Experts agree that in the event of a direct conflict over Taiwan, China's mainland air bases would still be more decisive, given the island's proximity to the Chinese coast.
China’s growing interest in aircraft carriers dates back to the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, when the United States deployed two carrier strike groups near Taiwan to deter further Chinese missile launches. This episode prompted Chinese authorities to initiate an ambitious carrier program, beginning with the acquisition of an unfinished Soviet-era vessel purchased from Ukraine, which became the Liaoning. Since then, China has progressed methodically, taking a cautious yet steady approach in developing its fleet.
For Beijing, these ships are more than mere military tools; they symbolize political power. Xi Jinping appears to have made naval capacity development a priority to establish China as a global power. By orchestrating the joint deployment of its carriers beyond traditional waters, China signals its ambition to influence the military balance in the Pacific. It also confirms its resolve to equip itself with the means to project power beyond its regional borders, even at the risk of heightening tensions with Washington and its Asian allies.