Chinese Navy Launches Aircraft Carrier Fleet Drills in Western Pacific: "Conducting Long-Range Flights and Live-Fire Exercises"
Show of Force Follows Trump-Xi Summit
Heightened Tensions After Japanese Warship Transits Taiwan Strait
The Chinese Navy has announced that the Liaoning aircraft carrier fleet is conducting long-range flight operations and live-fire drills in the Western Pacific. This show of force began immediately after the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded. It is interpreted as a move aimed at strengthening China's dominance over the Taiwan Strait issue.
On May 19, the Chinese Navy announced via its social media accounts, including X and the official Bilibili account, that starting today, the Liaoning fleet is carrying out exercises in the Western Pacific. The Chinese Navy stated, "We are conducting training drills such as long-range tactical flights, live-fire shooting, support and cover operations, and comprehensive rescue, aiming to inspect and enhance the unit's actual combat training level." They emphasized that "this is a regular drill organized according to the annual plan, intended to continuously strengthen mission execution capabilities, and is in line with international law and global norms." However, the Navy did not specify the exact duration of the training or the number of participating vessels, thus leaving the scale of forces undisclosed.
China's show of force in the Western Pacific—just four days after the U.S.-China summit held on May 14-15—has drawn significant international attention. Previously, President Trump and President Xi announced that the two countries had agreed to establish a "constructive strategic stability relationship" following their summit, but the meeting ended without a joint statement being issued.
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China has recently been repeatedly projecting military power into the Western Pacific. In particular, after a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ship transited the Taiwan Strait last month, China has been conducting retaliatory naval drills near the Taiwan Strait and Japanese waters. All of these areas are considered part of the Western Pacific. The Western Pacific refers broadly to the waters adjacent to the Taiwan Strait, Korea, Japan, and Australia, and is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet.
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