Update on PLA Navy Operations in the Western Pacific
This could be the closest publicly known instance to Midway and Hawaii of a Chinese aircraft carrier group conducting adversarial drills.
Observations:
(1) On June 7, the PLA Navy’s Liaoning carrier group was operating approximately 300 km southwest of Japan’s Minamitorishima. This location lies about 3,200 km from Midway and roughly 5,500 km from Hawaii.
(2) This marked the first publicly recorded instance of a Chinese aircraft carrier operating beyond the second island chain. The previous furthest known operations by Chinese carriers occurred in December 2022, when the Liaoning was active south of Okinotorishima, and in April 2023, when the Shandong operated in the same region—both at least 500 km west of Guam.
(3) In all three instances, elements of the Chinese carrier groups temporarily detached from the formation, possibly to conduct red-versus-blue adversarial drills.
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K. Tristan Tang
@KTristanTang
Update on U.S. and Chinese Carrier and Amphibious Deployments in the Western Pacific
(Based on data from @NavalInstitute and @jointstaffpa)
Observations:
(1) China’s Liaoning carrier group transited the Miyako Strait into the Philippine Sea between May 26 and 27. The America x.com/KTristanTang/s…
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