UPDATES WITH CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY REMARKS
By Berk Kutay Gokmen and Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) - Japan's Defense Ministry announced that the Self-Defense Forces have visually confirmed the presence of China's new aircraft carrier for the first time as it sailed through the East China Sea, the Kyodo news agency reported Friday.
The Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier, is notable for being the first to feature an electromagnetic catapult system, allowing for more efficient aircraft launches.
The ministry's joint staff is currently assessing whether the carrier has officially entered service or is still undergoing trials.
Once Fujian is fully integrated into the expanding Chinese naval fleet, its presence is expected to have significant implications across a region with multiple potential conflict areas, including Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province that must be reunified with the mainland.
According to the Japanese ministry's joint staff, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted the Fujian about 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands on Thursday. China also claims sovereignty over these islands, referring to them as Diaoyu.
Accompanied by two missile-equipped destroyers, the carrier was heading southwest toward the Taiwan Strait. No carrier-based aircraft were observed as a Japanese MSDF P-3C Orion surveillance plane monitored the vessel.
The Fujian recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct scientific research tests and training missions in the South China Sea, Senior Captain Leng Guowei, a spokesperson for the Chinese navy, said Friday.
Leng said the carrier's cross-sea tests and training are standard steps in its development process and are not directed at any particular objective, according to the Global Times.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Friday that the activities of Chinese naval vessels "in the relevant waters are fully consistent with China's domestic law and international law," according to the media outlet.
Lin said that the carrier passed through the Taiwan Straits to "conduct scientific research tests and training in the South China Sea," which is "a routine arrangement in the carrier's development process and is not directed at any specific target."