In an unprecedented show of strength, the Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong have been conducting exercises in the western Pacific Ocean beyond the second island chain, according to the Japanese defence ministry.
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In a statement on Monday, the ministry said the Shandong strike group was spotted earlier that day, conducting take-off and landing operations of its jet fighters and helicopters about 500km (311 miles) southwest of Iwo Jima and north of Okinotori.
It followed the ministry’s statement on Sunday that the Liaoning group had been located on Saturday 300km (186 miles) southwest of Minamitori Island. It was seen again on Sunday, a little further away. The carrier was also reported to be operating its ship-borne air wings.
All of the isles mentioned are in Japan’s Ogasawara Islands, also known as the Bonins. Alongside Guam and the rest of the Marianas, as well as the western Carolines and other small Pacific archipelagos, they form a strategic band known as the second island chain.
Most notably, the Liaoning group travelled further east than Guam, the most fortified US military base in the band, marking the first time a Chinese navy carrier has reached beyond the second island chain.
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Previous deployments – by the Liaoning in December 2022 and the Shandong in April 2023 – were some distance northwest of Guam. The Liaoning’s easternmost recorded location this time was about 3,200km (1,990 miles) from Midway Atoll and 5,500km (3,420 miles) from Hawaii.
The two 60,000-tonne Kuznetsov-class vessels – the PLA Navy’s only active carriers, with the Fujian still undergoing sea trials – were escorted by warships of significant size, representing China’s most powerful maritime strike forces to date.