China sends Liaoning carrier group to western Pacific for combat-readiness drills

New Delhi: China deployed a naval task group led by the aircraft carrier Liaoning to the western Pacific on Wednesday for training intended to improve its ability to conduct military missions. The People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLA-N) described the deployment as a scheduled exercise and said it was not directed against any particular country or target.

The announcement, carried by Global Times, said the training formed part of the navy’s annual programme and would assess and strengthen the force’s readiness under realistic operational conditions. Beijing also said the activities complied with international law and established international practice.

The statement did not identify the accompanying warships, specify the exercise area or disclose how long the deployment would last. Those omissions leave the scale and operational scope of the latest mission unclear, although the Liaoning has undertaken several extended deployments in the region.

The deployment continues China’s efforts to improve carrier operations farther from its coast, where sustained missions require coordination between aircraft, escort ships and supporting forces. Earlier exercises have included reconnaissance, early warning, maritime strikes, air defence and flights by carrier-based aircraft during both daylight and darkness, according to China’s defence ministry.

The Liaoning’s most recent lengthy deployment ended on June 22 when the carrier and accompanying vessels returned to port after more than 40 days of exercises in the South China Sea and western Pacific. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV announced the group’s return, providing evidence of the increasingly prolonged missions undertaken by the carrier.

An earlier deployment in May and June 2025 marked a significant expansion of Chinese carrier activity in the Pacific. Japan said it had, for the first time, confirmed the Liaoning and Shandong operating there simultaneously, as well as Chinese carrier activity in waters east of Iwo-to, also known as Iwo Jima.

At a briefing on June 10, 2025, Japan’s defence ministry said the Liaoning had been observed roughly 300 kilometres south-west of Minamitorishima, while the Shandong was about 550 kilometres south-east of Miyako Island. Japanese forces subsequently observed aircraft taking off from and landing on both carriers, and Tokyo said the deployments reflected efforts to improve operations in distant waters and airspace.

The Liaoning occupies a central place in the development of China’s naval aviation capabilities as the country’s first aircraft carrier, commissioned on September 25, 2012. A J-15 fighter successfully landed on its deck on November 23 that year, establishing an early milestone in China’s ability to operate fixed-wing combat aircraft at sea.

The carrier uses a ski-jump ramp to launch its fixed-wing aircraft, with arrested landings allowing them to recover aboard the ship. That arrangement has given China a platform for developing the flying skills and deck procedures required for carrier operations, alongside its wider programme of naval modernization.

The Liaoning has also participated in exercises explicitly associated with Taiwan, including the Joint Sword-2024B drills on October 14, 2024. During those exercises, China’s Eastern Theater Command said the carrier group operated east of the island and practised ship–aircraft coordination, joint air suppression and strikes against maritime and land targets.

The latest announcement, however, identifies the mission as routine annual training and provides no comparable Taiwan-specific objectives. Its immediate significance lies in the continuation of China’s carrier deployments into the western Pacific, while further disclosures will be needed to establish the exercise’s precise location, composition and activities.