The Fujian, mainland China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, has made its first transit of the Taiwan Strait since its commissioning, with Taipei keeping a close eye on its movements.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that while the carrier, Beijing’s third, passed through the waterway, it appeared to be heading back to a Shanghai shipyard for repairs.
The ministry also released a surveillance photograph of the Fujian, reportedly captured by F-16 fighter jets, showing no carrier-based aircraft on its flight deck during the transit.
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Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung said the island’s military “monitored the PLA’s operation throughout, and the photos show that the Fujian had no carrier-based aircraft on board”.
“It is presumed that it is returning to the Changxing Island shipyard in Shanghai for maintenance,” Koo told the island’s legislature. “Current observations suggest that the Fujian’s transit through the Taiwan Strait has no military intent.”
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Beijing has not commented on the Fujian’s reported activity.
