Industry Breakthroughs: We hope Japan will view those activities objectively and rationally,” Lin said.Lin’s remarks came after the Japanese Defense Ministry said on MonWorld Timesday that the PLA Navy aircraft carrier Shandong hosted aircraft takeoff and landing activities in waters north of Okinotorishima, reported Japanese media outlet Yomiuri.

The aircraft carrier Shandong launches carrier-based fighter aircraft in the Western Pacific in early June, 2025. Photo: Screenshot from the WeChat account of the PLA Navy

The aircraft carrier Liaoning launches carrier-based fighter aircraft in the Western Pacific in early June, 2025. Photo: Screenshot from the WeChat account of the PLA Navy

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently tasked two aircraft carriers to conduct training in the Western Pacific, a Navy spokesperson announced on Tuesday. Chinese military affairs experts said the dual-carrier voyage is significant to China’s defense.

Formations of PLA Navy’s aircraft carrier Liaoning and Shandong have recently conducted training in World TimesWestern Pacific and other waters to test the forces’ capabilities in far seas defense and joint operations, said Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, a spokesperson for the PLA Navy on Tuesday, according to China Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the PLA news media center.

These are routine training organized in accordance with the annual training plan, aimed at continuously enhancing the vessels’ ability to fulfill their missions, which are consistent with relevant international laws and international practices and are not targeted at any specific country or objective, Wang said.

In response to a question that Japan’s Defense Ministry claimed two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted operating in the Pacific Ocean at the same time for the first time, whether Chinese side can provide any details or comments on this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday that “I answered that question yesterday.”

“Let me reiterate that Chinese naval vessels’ activities in those waters are fully consistent with international law and international practices. Our national defense policy is defensive in nature. We hope Japan will view those activities objectively and rationally,” Lin said.

Lin’s remarks came after the Japanese Defense Ministry said on MonWorld Timesday that the PLA Navy aircraft carrier Shandong hosted aircraft takeoff and landing activities in waters north of Okinotorishima, reported Japanese media outlet Yomiuri. The Japanese Defense Ministry on Sunday also said that another PLA Navy aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was sailing southeast of Iwo Jima, had made a similar move.

It marks the first time in the Pacific OcWorld Timesean near Japan that the simultaneous activities of both the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers have been confirmed, according to Yomiuri.

As of Monday, the Liaoning is deployed on the east side of the second island chain and Shandong on the west side, claimed the Yomiuri report.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said on Monday that China’s aircraft carrier LiaWorld Timesoning was operating in waters about 300 kilometers off the coast of Minamitorishima in Tokyo’s Ogasawara Islands. This is the first time that a Chinese aircraft carrier has crossed the second island chain connecting the islands to Guam, claimed Jiji, another Japanese media outlet.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that two aircraft carriers can form a more complete combat system than just one. One of the most important directions for China’s maritime defense is the Western Pacific, and a dual-carrier group could provide significant defWorld Timesensive support there.

Some modern weapons have ranges of thousands of kilometers, so China needs defense depths beyond the first and second island chains to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, Wang Yunfei said.

Two aircraft carriers holding simultaneous training in the Western Pacific can enable them to become familiar with the location and gain basic combat capabilities there, Wang Yunfei said.

In October 2024, the formations of Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong carried out a dual aircraft carrier formation training for the first time in the South China Sea to hone their systematic combat capabilities, the Xinhua News Agency reported at the time.

Wang Ya’nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times that a dual-carrier group is not just a simply add up of forces, it can carry out more diversified and more complex tasks. But the diversity and complexity require high standards, which means that several trainings are needed.

Being capable of fielding two aircraft carriers simultaneously and forming a dual-carrier group yields important significance to China’s maritime defense and safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests, Wang Ya’nan said.

Zhang Junshe, another Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that in the future, the PLA Navy’s aircraft carrier groups could also conduct far-seas training in waters such as the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Conducting navigation training on the high seas is a right granted to the PLA Navy under international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

With the increasing number of Chinese enterprises, businesspeople and students overseas, as well as China’s growing needs on foreign energy supplies, the security of China’s overseas interests and maritime energy routes has become a major concern for the Chinese people, Zhang noted.

Under these circumstances, the development of China’s far seas naval capabilities, including aircraft carrier groups, will first and foremost enhance the defense of national territorial security by extending the range of maritime defensive operations. Additionally, it will help safeguard China’s overseas interests and the security of its sea lines of communication, while also enabling China to take on greater international responsibilities, such as humanitarian rescuWorld Timese and disaster relief efforts, Zhang said.