China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on June 22, 2026. The timing was hard to miss: Taiwan had launched a five-day military exercise the day before, designed specifically to rehearse responses to a potential Chinese attack.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed it monitored the transit using joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance methods. The government also issued a statement opposing China’s actions in the strait.
What makes the Fujian different
The Fujian is not just another carrier. It is China’s third aircraft carrier, the first of its Type 003 class, and the largest non-nuclear-powered warship China has ever built, exceeding 80,000 tonnes at full-load displacement.
Previous Chinese carriers used ski-jump ramps to launch aircraft, a system that limits the weight and payload of planes leaving the deck. The Fujian uses electromagnetic catapults instead, the same launch technology found on the US Navy’s most modern carriers.
