Recently, the situation in the South China Sea and the Western Pacific has become increasingly turbulent. The G7 issued statements regarding the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and a joint fleet composed of the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines conducted activities in the South China Sea. The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) nuclear aircraft carrier once again entered the South China Sea, and the US military also conducted live-fire missile launches from land-based medium-range missiles in the Philippines.
On April 19, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) of the US Navy was cruising in the waters north of the Leizhou Bank in the South China Sea. On April 20, the USS Theodore Roosevelt sneaked into waters south of Huangyan Island, where two Type 054A missile frigates of the Chinese Navy and the No. 792 electronic reconnaissance ship were responsible for tracking and monitoring.
However, they discovered an unsettling fact: the Chinese Navy’s Shandong carrier strike group had mysteriously disappeared from a military port in the South China Sea. According to the latest photos released by an overseas commercial satellite website, the aircraft carrier Shandong, which was berthed in a military port in the South China Sea in early April, has quietly “disappeared” from the port recently.
At the same time, several surface combat ships such as the Type 055 destroyer and Type 052S destroyer docked near the Shandong carrier also disappeared along with the Shandong. Obviously, this time the aircraft carrier Shandong did not transition to other berths but led the entire carrier strike group to set sail for a mission.
Retired Taiwanese Major General Li Zhengjie believes that amidst large-scale military exercises by the United States, Japan, and South Korea, the disappearance of the Shandong carrier strike group from a military port in Hainan may have likely meant it had arrived in relevant waters east of Taiwan, targeting the joint military exercises of the United States, Japan, and South Korea. The Shandong carrier is specifically aimed at countering the USS Theodore Roosevelt nuclear aircraft carrier cruising in the South China Sea and the Western Pacific.
A new carrier confrontation is highly likely to unfold. The Shandong carrier strike group is likely operating in the southeastern waters of Taiwan Island. Besides the Shandong carrier, the fleet should also include 2 to 4 large missile destroyers, 2-3 frigates, and a large comprehensive supply ship, with the presence of a Type 093 nuclear submarine underwater.
Recently, the Chinese Navy released its first submarine-themed promotional video, “Submerged into the Deep Sea.” This promotional submarine film mentioned that the complete formation of the Shandong carrier strike group was publicly revealed for the first time, possibly indicating the official announcement of China’s carrier strike group being equipped with nuclear submarines.
The Shandong carrier strike group shown in “Submerged into the Deep Sea” includes a complete composition of surface ships, submarines, and aviation squadrons. The carrier strike group shown in the video includes the aircraft carrier Shandong, one Type 055 missile destroyer, one Type 052D missile destroyer, two Type 054A missile frigates, and one Type 901 large oceangoing supply ship. Additionally, the fleet contains an unspecified number of Type 093 attack nuclear submarines.
However, the scale of this carrier strike group shown in the video is not complete, with only one Type 055 destroyer and one Type 052D destroyer serving as air defense ships, which is insufficient in number.
In fact, a complete Shandong carrier strike group appeared at the 71st anniversary celebration of the Chinese Navy four years ago. Composed of six escort surface combat ships, including 2 Type 055 large missile destroyers, 2 Type 052D missile destroyers, and 2 Type 054A frigates, such a formation possesses a complete anti-aircraft defense system, mainly equipped with ship-to-air missiles such as the Hongqi-9 and Hongqi-16, Hongqi-10 short-range defense missiles, large and medium-caliber naval guns, and the 1130 close-in weapon system. It can simultaneously counteract saturation attacks from dozens of incoming targets.
Even more spectacular was in November of last year, when the Shandong carrier strike group went on a combat patrol in the Western Pacific. Photographs taken by a photographer commissioned by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force captured a large formation of the Shandong carrier, consisting of 10 warships, including the aircraft carrier Shandong, 2 Type 055 destroyers, 3 Type 052D destroyers, 3 Type 054A frigates, and 1 Type 905 large supply ship. Obviously, the scale of the carrier strike group varies according to different operational tasks.
The South China Sea may not be the only possible training area for the Shandong carrier. This carrier may also cross the Bashi Strait to the east of Taiwan and the Western Pacific. Alternatively, it could conduct exercises in the Philippine Sea northeast of Luzon, simultaneously deterring the Philippines and practicing joint operations with China’s land-based aviation forces in the airspace and waters south of Taiwan. It may even move northward to the waters east of Taiwan Island to operate jointly with the maritime and aerial forces of the Eastern Theater Command for training exercises around Taiwan.
For decades, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan have been trying to utilize military facilities on islands such as Taiwan, the Philippines, and Okinawa to create an invisible “shackle” on the first island chain, aiming to form a “blockade” to prevent China’s fleet from freely entering the Western Pacific. However, with the continuous enhancement of China’s overall naval and air power, this “blockade” is now virtually nonexistent.
The appearance of China’s carrier strike group in the waters east of Taiwan and the Western Pacific, confronting American nuclear aircraft carriers across the sea, also demonstrates China’s determination.
Compared to over 20 years ago, the strength of the Chinese Navy has undergone tremendous changes. In 2012, with the commissioning of the Liaoning aircraft carrier, the Chinese Navy officially entered the era of aircraft carriers. In 2019, the Shandong aircraft carrier was commissioned, marking China’s entry into the era of dual aircraft carriers. In 2022, the Fujian aircraft carrier was officially launched and is likely to be commissioned this year, leading China’s Navy into the era of three aircraft carriers, thereby becoming the world’s second-largest aircraft carrier fleet.