China Flexes Its Naval Muscles Near Japan With Ukraine-Built Aircraft Carrier

China has deployed its first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, originally built at a shipyard in Ukraine, to waters near Japan as part of a major naval training operation in the Western Pacific, prompting Japanese fighter jets to scramble in response to Chinese carrier-based aviation activity.

The deployment marks another milestone in the transformation of the former Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, constructed in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, from an unfinished Cold War-era warship into a centerpiece of China’s growing naval power.

According to Defence Blog on October 24, citing Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and Japan’s Joint Staff, the Liaoning carrier group completed its second Western Pacific training deployment of 2026, a decade after its first such voyage in 2016.

Japanese forces initially detected the carrier on October 13, accompanied by two Renhai-class destroyers, hull numbers 103 and 104, and a Luyang III-class destroyer, hull number 123.

The following day, the Chinese naval group sailed southeast between Okinawa and Miyako-jima into the Pacific Ocean. Japanese maritime forces subsequently observed fighter aircraft taking off and landing aboard Liaoning approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Ishigaki Island.

Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets in response to the Chinese aircraft activity, according to the Japanese Joint Staff. By October 15, all four Chinese vessels had been observed heading toward the South China Sea.

Liaoning’s origins trace back to Ukraine’s major shipbuilding industry. Originally named Varyag, the Soviet-era aircraft carrier was constructed at the Black Sea Shipyard in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, one of the Soviet Union’s most important naval shipbuilding centers.

Following Ukraine’s independence in 1991, the unfinished carrier came under Ukrainian ownership before being sold to Chinese buyers. Beijing subsequently completed and modernized the vessel, commissioning it into its navy as Liaoning in 2012.

The Ukrainian-built hull became the foundation of China’s first aircraft carrier, helping Beijing establish its own carrier program. According to Chinese military commentator Du Wenlong, the reconstruction process allowed Chinese engineers to acquire essential aircraft carrier design and construction expertise.

Over the following decade, Liaoning evolved from a training platform into a combat-capable warship and flagship of its carrier group, equipped with upgraded weapons, aviation, and command systems.

Earlier, China deployed naval and air forces near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea as the US, the Philippines, and regional allies conducted major joint military exercises. Beijing described the operation as a combat readiness patrol, while Philippine officials accused China of using military activity claims to project control over contested waters.

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