Taiwan rehearses rapid wartime response as China’s advanced Fujian carrier transits strait
China’s newest aircraft carrier, Fujian sailed through the Taiwan strait on June 24, during the Taiwan’s ongoing "Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise", simulating a surprise attack on the island nation.The 5 days military exercise which began on June 22 will simulate a situation, were China suddenly
China’s newest aircraft carrier, Fujian sailed through the Taiwan strait on June 24, during the Taiwan’s ongoing "Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise", simulating a surprise attack on the island nation.The 5 days military exercise which began on June 22 will simulate a situation, were China suddenly turns one of its regular exercises around the island into an actual attack.“Taiwan's military needs to test if it can respond immediately to a war breaking out, as the warning time for any Chinese attack is shortening”, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday.He further stated that the “exercise is intended to build the speed we believe is necessary for converting from peacetime to wartime status”.Speaking about the military exercise of Taiwan Zhang Han, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the drills showed the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) "malicious intent to seek independence by force"."In the face of the powerful people's army, the DPP authorities' posturing is completely futile; it will only harm and destroy Taiwan and bring about their own destruction," she said.The transit has drawn attention, as Fujian is China’s most advance aircraft carrier commissioned in the late 2025.Unlike the previous PLA navy’s carrier, Liaoning and Shandong, which were STOBAR (Short take-off but arrested recovery) carriers and uses ski-jump ramps to launch aircrafts, Fujian is a CATOBAR (Catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery) carrier, equipped with Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).The EMALS technology allows the carrier to launch heavier aircraft carrying more fuel, weapons and sensors, significantly extending their range and combat effectiveness.About the Fujian:· Fujian has a displacement of 80,000-85000 tonnes (Full load) and length of 316-320 meters.· It uses steam turbines for propulsion and has a maximum speed of around 30 knots (55 km/h)· For launching the aircraft, it uses 3 Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS)· It can carry 60 aircraft including J-15T, J-35 stealth fighter, KJ-600 early warning aircraft and HZ-20 helicopters.For Beijing, the transit demonstrates the growing maturity of the People's Liberation Army Navy's carrier force and its ability to operate major naval assets in waters surrounding Taiwan.The deployment is equally significant because Fujian is expected to become the backbone of future Chinese carrier strike groups.For Taiwan, the transit reinforces concerns about the island's security environment.
The concern is one of the key reasons behind the ongoing "Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise."