Satellite imagery has confirmed that China’s newest aircraft carrier remains stationed at its naval base in Qingdao, contradicting a recent social media claim that the vessel had deployed to waters near Taiwan. The European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellites captured images showing the 1,036-foot ship docked far to the north, refuting assertions by a military-focused X account that the Fujian and its carrier group had moved into the Taiwan Strait. The claim, which garnered over 91,000 views, sparked mixed reactions online. Some users viewed the assertion as plausible, citing U.S. military actions in the Middle East as a potential context for China’s movements. Others dismissed the post as speculative or fake news. Meanwhile, analysts emphasized the need for caution in interpreting short-term military activity. Ben Lewis, an independent defense analyst and co-founder of PLA Tracker, warned against drawing firm conclusions from fleeting changes in military operations. China’s military has intensified pressure on Taiwan in recent years, with frequent flights over the Taiwan Strait’s median line and simulated blockades. A deployment of an aircraft carrier near Taiwan’s coast would represent a significant escalation, though the satellite evidence suggests no such movement has occurred. The claim emerged amid renewed speculation about China’s military activity following a brief lull in PLA Air Force flights into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Flights resumed last week at a reduced pace, with none reported on Monday. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry confirmed that 28 PLA aircraft, including fighter jets and an early warning aircraft, were tracked in the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday.#european_space_agency #people_s_republic_of_china #sentinel_2 #fujian #taiwan_strait
For nearly two weeks, Chinese fighter jets stopped buzzing Taiwan. No one seems to know why. Taiwan’s military has grown accustomed to the daily task of tracking Chinese warplanes flying near the island. Some days see a handful of aircraft, while others witness a much larger presence. But the sudden absence of these flights for nearly two weeks left analysts and military officials puzzled. The silence was broken on Thursday when five People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft were reported operating around the Taiwan Strait, with several flying near the median line that divides the waterway. Analysts noted this was the longest pause in Chinese air activity since Taiwan began publicly releasing daily military data. Ben Lewis, founder of PLATracker, an open data platform tracking Chinese military movements around Taiwan, Japan, and the South China Sea, called the situation “frankly unlike anything we’ve seen in recent history.” Since Taiwan’s defense ministry started sharing this data in 2020, the trend had been a steady increase in Chinese military activity. The recent lull, which lasted 13 consecutive days starting February 27, marked a significant shift. A brief exception occurred on March 6, when two aircraft were detected in the far southwestern corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. However, analysts argued the broader pattern still represented a striking departure from the trend of rising activity. The sudden quiet raised questions about potential reasons behind the pause. One theory suggests Beijing may be avoiding escalation ahead of a planned meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump later this month. Topics like trade, technology, and Taiwan are expected to dominate the discussion.#taiwan #people_s_republic_of_china #people_s_libertation_army #wellington_koo #platracker
