The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is stepping up its military presence in contested waters, particularly around the Senkaku Islands, the Taiwan Strait, and the South and East China Seas. This escalation includes the anticipated commissioning of the new Fujian aircraft carrier, which is seen as a significant expansion of China’s naval capabilities. The move raises concerns about potential confrontations with the United States and its allies.
On September 14, 2023, two Chinese vessels armed with cannons entered Japan’s territorial waters near Minamikojima, part of the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The Japan Coast Guard detected the ships at around 07:00 and issued warnings for them to leave immediately. While Japan administers the islands, China claims sovereignty over them. Tokyo asserts that the islands are an integral part of its territory, rejecting any claims of a sovereignty dispute.
The CCP’s actions in the Senkaku Islands could provoke a military response involving the United States, as stipulated by the U.S.–Japan security treaty, which includes Article 5. This article commits the U.S. to defend Japan against armed attacks on territories under its administration. While the United States does not take a position on the sovereignty dispute, it acknowledges Japan’s administrative control over the islands. U.S. officials have repeatedly confirmed that Article 5 encompasses the Senkaku Islands, meaning any aggression from China could trigger a military response from the U.S.
Just days prior, on September 11, the Fujian aircraft carrier was sighted by Japan’s military near the Senkaku Islands while undergoing its sea trials. Accompanied by two destroyers, the carrier’s passage was framed by Beijing as routine, aimed at training and scientific testing in the South China Sea. Nonetheless, the action holds considerable symbolic significance as China asserts its territorial claims in the region.
In response, the U.S. destroyer USS Higgins and the British frigate HMS Richmond transited the Taiwan Strait, drawing sharp warnings from Beijing. China condemned this movement as a destabilizing action and deployed naval and air resources to monitor the vessels. Both Washington and London contended that their operation was lawful under international law, highlighting the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in waters beyond any state’s territorial claims.
Earlier in September, naval forces from Canada and Australia also traversed the Taiwan Strait, part of regular operations that occur roughly once a month. The U.S. has consistently maintained that the Taiwan Strait constitutes international waters, rejecting China’s claims of sovereignty. Over the last four years, the U.S. Department of Defense has challenged numerous excessive maritime claims while conducting joint exercises with allies to foster cooperation and support a free Indo-Pacific.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal nations are entitled to a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea. China asserts this right around its mainland and Taiwan, disregarding Taiwan’s sovereignty. Nevertheless, the Taiwan Strait remains a corridor of international waters where states retain rights to navigation and overflight.
In recent years, the CCP has intensified its military pressure on Taiwan, with frequent exercises and incursions into Taiwan’s air and sea space. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has expressed concerns that Beijing is preparing for a possible invasion. Both the European Union and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have denounced China’s growing territorial claims in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, including its efforts to designate Scarborough Reef as a nature reserve.
The Fujian aircraft carrier’s recent passage marked its ninth sea trial since May 2024. Expectations are high that it will soon be commissioned, following a pattern similar to that of the Shandong carrier, which entered service shortly after its own transit in 2019. With the Fujian joining the ranks of the Liaoning and Shandong, China now possesses three aircraft carriers, potentially enabling it to rotate vessels for maintenance, training, and patrols.
This development complicates Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against potential Chinese naval operations. The presence of multiple carriers allows China to project military power in the western Pacific, threatening Taiwan’s defenses and complicating its strategic positioning. As Beijing solidifies its military capabilities, the situation in the region remains tense, with implications for international security and stability.
