China’s Carriers Increasingly Venture Beyond the First Island Chain

Analysis by Bonny Lin, Brian Hart, Truly Tinsley, and Leon Li

Published February 25, 2026

As the Chinese military builds up a blue-water navy, its aircraft carriers are increasingly operating farther from China’s shores and for longer durations.

The Chinese military is steadily building up a blue-water navy capable of operating farther from China’s shores. In 2025, the People’s Liberation Army Navy conducted several unprecedented activities outside of the first island chain—the series of archipelagos separating the near seas of East and Southeast Asia from the broader Pacific Ocean.
In 2025, China’s first and second aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, were spotted outside the first island chain for a combined 58 days—up from 32 days in 2024 and more than in any other year. The two carriers reportedly launched an estimated 1,680 sorties of fighter jets and helicopters in the Western Pacific in 2025, compared to 1,240 sorties in 2024.
In June 2025, the two carriers conducted simultaneous operations in the Western Pacific, marking the first time they have operated concurrently outside of the first island chain and the longest duration of any Chinese carrier operation outside the first island chain to date.

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