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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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Satellite imagery reviewed by Newsweek shows all three Chinese aircraft carriers at naval bases following a busy deployment schedule across the western Pacific in 2025.
The CNS Liaoning and CNS Fujian were seen docked at China's northeastern Yuchi base, while the CNS Shandong was sighted at Yulin in the south.
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The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
China operates the world's largest navy by hull count, with more than 370 vessels, as part of its push to create a "world-class" military to challenge the United States. In its latest assessment report on Chinese military developments, the Pentagon said the East Asian power aims to build six additional aircraft carriers, for a total of nine, by 2035.
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Over the past year, the Chinese aircraft carrier fleet reached significant milestones in operations and expansion, including the simultaneous deployment of CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong east of a U.S. containment line known as the First Island Chain in June, as well as the commissioning of its most advanced warship, CNS Fujian, in November.
The rapid growth of China's sea power comes as the U.S. military maintains a strong naval presence, such as aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines, near China, serving both as a deterrent to potential Chinese aggression and as a security assurance to allies and partners engaged in disputes with Beijing, including Japan and Taiwan.
What To Know
An image captured on Monday by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellites shows Yuchi Naval Base in Qingdao, northeastern China, near the Yellow Sea, hosting the Liaoning, which is homeported there, and the Fujian, which arrived last month.
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The Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier, is stationed at Yulin Naval Base near Sanya in southern China, north of the South China Sea. It previously transited the Taiwan Strait, which lies between mainland China and Taiwan, heading north after departing its base.
However, it was not immediately clear how long the Fujian will stay at Yuchi Naval Base before sailing home toward the south. It may conduct exercises with the Liaoning, the first Chinese aircraft carrier, to further refine its flight operations capabilities.
The Liaoning was tracked conducting at least two deployments last year, including one in December that saw it operating near Japan's southwestern islands amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over a possible war between China and Taiwan.
Sentinel-2 satellites also provided updates on Yulin Naval Base, where the Shandong was seen docking at the naval port on Tuesday. The base serves as a key outpost for China to project forces across the South China Sea amid ongoing territorial disputes.
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While the Shandong remained at port, the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was seen operating in the South China Sea on Saturday to conduct what the U.S. Navy described as "routine operations," according to official imagery released on Tuesday.
The U.S. West Coast-based Abraham Lincoln operated under the 7th Fleet, which is responsible for missions in the western Pacific. The aircraft carrier was deployed with the destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Michael Murphy and USS Spruance.
USS George Washington, a U.S. aircraft carrier homeported in Japan, has been pierside at Yokosuka Naval Base since December 11, according to a local Japanese government website that tracks American nuclear-powered naval vessels' port calls at Yokosuka.
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What People Are Saying
Alex Luck, an Australia-based naval analyst, wrote in a Naval News article: "With three operational carriers [the People's Liberation Army Navy] firmly established itself as the second-largest operator of aircraft carriers worldwide. However, the gap to the United States Navy at the top remains rather substantial."
The U.S. Navy said in a photo caption of USS Abraham Lincoln's deployment: "Units assigned to 7th Fleet conduct regular Indo-Pacific patrols to deter aggression, strengthen alliances and partnerships, and advance peace through strength."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen when the Chinese navy will conduct its first deployment in the broader western Pacific this year to counter the U.S. naval presence in the region.
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