China's Most Advanced Carrier Fujian Sails Through Taiwan Strait Amid Rising Cross-Strait Tensions

China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian , sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Taiwan’s defence ministry confirmed, marking the first such mission in the sensitive waterway since April. The passage came a day after Taiwan launched a five day military exercise rehearsing its response to a possible Chinese attack.

Taiwan’s ministry said its forces had used “joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance methods to closely monitor it,” and released a black and white aerial image of the vessel. However, no aircraft were visible on its deck, and the ministry did not disclose where or how the photograph was taken.

This was not the Fujian’s first crossing. It first sailed through the strait in a trial run last September and later transited it for the first time as a fully commissioned military vessel in December. The older Liaoning carrier also transited the waterway in April, underlining Beijing’s steadily expanding naval presence near the island.

Commissioned in November 2025, the Fujian is the world’s largest non nuclear powered warship, according to the U.S. Naval Institute , and is considered more advanced than China’s other two carriers, the Shandong and the Liaoning . Unlike its predecessors, it features a flat flight deck and electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft, allowing it to deploy significantly more and heavier armed fighter jets compared to the ramp launched systems used on older carriers.

China continues to claim sovereignty over the self governed island and has not ruled out using force to bring it under Beijing’s control. It also asserts authority over the Taiwan Strait , a key maritime route, while Taiwan and the United States maintain it is an international waterway. Taiwan reports almost daily Chinese military activity around the island, which it views as part of sustained pressure on its democratically elected government.

In response, the United States Navy and allied forces conduct periodic transits through the strait as a signal against any attempt to alter the status quo by force, while Taiwan maintains that only its people can decide the island’s future.

The latest passage adds to an already tense standoff in one of the world’s most strategically watched waterways, where naval signalling from Beijing , Taipei , and Washington shows no sign of easing.