NextFin news, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) confirmed on Thursday that it spotted China's newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, navigating in the East China Sea northwest of the Senkaku Islands. This marks the first time the JMSDF has identified the Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier following the Liaoning and Shandong.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense Joint Staff announced that the Fujian was observed sailing southwest along with a Sovremenny-class destroyer and a Type 052C destroyer approximately 200 kilometers northwest of China's Diaoyu Dao (Senkaku Islands) around 1 p.m. on Thursday. The vessels were heading toward the Taiwan Strait.
The Fujian is China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapult launch and arresting gear technology and has a full displacement exceeding 80,000 tons. It has undergone multiple sea trials since its launch on June 17, 2022, and is reportedly in the final stages before commissioning, expected within 2025.
Chinese military experts have stated that the Fujian's voyage in these waters is a normal part of its preparation for commissioning and that Chinese warships regularly operate in the area. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense has also emphasized ongoing communication with Japan on maritime and aerial security issues, dismissing Japan's heightened sensitivity as unnecessary.
The location of the sighting, the East China Sea near the Senkaku Islands, is a region of strategic importance and ongoing territorial disputes. Japan's confirmation of the Fujian's presence there underscores the carrier's operational deployment in contested waters.
Sources: Japan Ministry of Defense Joint Staff announcement (September 11, 2025); Global Times report (September 11, 2025); Xinhua; China Central Television (CCTV).
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