China's Newest Aircraft Carrier Fujian Transits Taiwan Strait — First Since December
China's aircraft carrier Fujian — its first carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults (only the second in the world after USS Gerald R. Ford) — steamed through the Taiwan Strait on June 22, 2026, the first such transit since December 2025. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected and reported the transit, releasing an aerial surveillance photo. The transit came one day after Taiwan began a 5-day military readiness drill (June 21–26) and coincided with the multinational Valiant Shield exercise in the region. Satellite imagery two days later (June 24) showed the Fujian back in port at Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island. Analysts noted the transit as part of a broader debate over whether China has entered a genuine 'three-carrier era' of sustained blue-water carrier operations.
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- T2 Stars and Stripes — Chinese carrier passes through Taiwan Strait amid multiple regional exercises Major western
- T2 US News & World Report — China's Most Advanced Aircraft Carrier Sails Through Taiwan Strait, Taipei Says Major western
- T2 Washington Post — China's newest aircraft carrier sails through the Taiwan Strait Major western
- T2 Taipei Times — China's newest aircraft carrier sails through Taiwan Strait Major eastern