The Chinese navy, which is the largest in the world, has conducted its first dual aircraft carrier operation, the country’s naval force announced on Thursday.
The exercise was conducted in the highly contested waters of the South China Sea in late October and involved two carrier strike groups, led by CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong, China’s first and second operational aircraft carriers.
Photos released by the Chinese military show 13 warships, including the two aircraft carriers, sailing in formation in undisclosed waters in the South China Sea, escorted overhead by at least 12 carrier-based fighter jets, including Shenyang J-15As and J-15Bs, known as flying sharks.
Newsweek‘s map traces the movement of the Liaoning, which was spotted underway in the South China Sea—where China has had territorial disputes with the Philippines—since the beginning of October, including pier-side at a base with the Shandong for the first time.
The exercise was part of the navy’s annual training plan aimed at honing what the Chinese Defense Ministry called the joint operation capability of both carrier strike groups’ personnel and improving their systematic combat strength.
China has launched three aircraft carriers, with the third and the most advanced, the CNS Fujian, yet to be commissioned. With a fleet of over 370 ships and submarines, Beijing is challenging the historic naval dominance of Washington in the Western Pacific Ocean.
The U.S. has the largest aircraft carrier fleet in the world with 11 in service, and all of them are nuclear-powered, unlike their Chinese counterparts, which use conventional power. The U.S. Navy has a total battle force of 295 ships and submarines.
The Liaoning, which has returned to its home port in Qingdao in the eastern province of Shandong, commenced what the Chinese navy called a long-distance exercise as early as September 17-18, when it transited southward from the East China Sea to the Philippine Sea.
The carrier strike group led by the Liaoning was operating in the waters west of the island of Guam, the westernmost U.S. territory, and east of the Philippines from September 20 to October 1. The closest the Chinese flotilla came to Guam was 559 miles.
The Liaoning then left the area and transited off the southeast coast of the Philippines, heading toward the South China Sea. It was moored at a base on the Chinese southern island of Hainan with Shandong, according to satellite imagery captured on October 8.
The aircraft carrier and its warship escorts left the South China Sea and returned to the Philippine Sea on October 13-14. They took part in a large-scale Chinese military exercise around the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its territory.
The Liaoning headed back to the South China Sea following the conclusion of the military exercise. On October 22, it led the carrier strike group passing through the 110-mile-wide Taiwan Strait as they transited northward from the South China Sea to the East China Sea.
Satellite imagery captured on Monday shows the Liaoning docked at its home port, confirming the announcement made by the Chinese navy. It was not immediately clear whether the Shandong was still underway, as the navy did not disclose its whereabouts.
The Chinese navy said the Liaoning has concluded its regular real-combat training in the high seas, also known as international waters. During this deployment, it circumnavigated Taiwan and the Philippines, a partner and an ally of the U.S, Newsweek’s map shows.
The Chinese dual aircraft carrier operations came as USS George Washington, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, was participating in a military exercise between U.S. and Japanese forces in the Philippine Sea near Okinawa, Japan, running from October 23 to November 1.
The George Washington will return to its home port in Yokosuka, Japan, in late fall after completion of its current patrol. It has replaced its sister ship, USS Ronald Reagan, as the new forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Japan, for the second time in its service life.
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