For the First Time, Two Chinese Carriers Deploy in the Western Pacific

 

For the first time, China's PLA Navy has dispatched two aircraft carriers simultaneously into the Western Pacific, beyond the boundary of the First Island Chain. Chinese Navy spokesperson Senior Capt. Wang Xuemeng confirmed on Tuesday that the carriers were deployed "to test the forces' capabilities in far seas defense." 

On Saturday, Japanese forces spotted the Chinese carrier Shandong operating just east of the Strait of Luzon, about 300 nautical miles south of Miyako Island. On Monday, Shandong was seen conducting aircraft launch and recovery at a position far out in the Philippine Sea, east of Okinotori Atoll. 

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Chinese carrier Liaoning was spotted in the Japanese EEZ near the island of Minamatori, beyond the edge of the Second Island Chain. It is the first time that a Chinese carrier has passed this strategic boundary. 

In addition to the carrier strike groups, two Chinese surface action groups and one amphibious assault group are also operating in the Western Pacific - a total of more than 20 warships and auxiliaries. 

These movements are part of a pattern of increasingly ambitious Chinese naval deployments. In years past, the PLA Navy was highly active in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, and often ventured just east of Taiwan for drills, but had a comparatively limited presence in the deep waters of the Western Pacific. The carrier deployments signal the ability to project power into the sea lanes that American forces would use to reach Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. 

The pace of advance of China's naval capability has drawn concern in the West. China now has a larger navy (by fleet count) than the United States, and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last month that China was a "peer competitor" and a top priority for deterrence. It has been less than a year since Shandong and Liaoning conducted their first dual-carrier exercise, itself a major milestone for Chinese sea power. The PLA Navy has two in-service carriers and a third is currently in sea trials; a fourth, said to have nuclear propulsion, is under construction.