[By Guancha Observer, Shanmao]

According to a "Movement of Chinese Navy Ships" notification released by Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff on the 23rd of this month, the notification stated that at around 11:00 AM local time (around 10:00 AM Beijing time), the Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed on the 23rd that a formation consisting of the Shandong aircraft carrier and the Type 055 destroyer (ship No. 106 Yan'an) was sailing in the Pacific Ocean about 790 kilometers south of Miyako Island, i.e., east of Luzon Island in the Philippines.

Screenshot of the Joint Staff notification of the Ministry of Defense of Japan

Location diagram attached in the notification of the Ministry of Defense

The notification also mentioned that on the same day, the takeoff and landing activities of carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters on the Shandong aircraft carrier were observed. The Self-Defense Forces dispatched the Murasame-class destroyer DD-109 "Arimi" from the 5th Escort Division based in Sasebo for tracking, monitoring, and intelligence gathering operations.

Image of the Shandong aircraft carrier captured by the Maritime Self-Defense Force ship Joint Staff of the Ministry of Defense of Japan

According to a tweet from the Philippine Daily Tribune on social media, the Philippine military claimed that on April 22nd, an aircraft flying near the southwestern part of Babuyan Island about 2.23 nautical miles away captured images of the Chinese Navy's Shandong aircraft carrier sailing. On the same day, an 815A-class electronic reconnaissance ship with hull number 797 was also discovered. The Philippine side captured the Shandong aircraft carrier, which was navigating through the Babaling or Babuyan Strait while entering the Pacific Ocean during this trip.

Image of the Shandong aircraft carrier allegedly captured by the Philippine military

Image allegedly captured by the Philippine military showing the 815A-class electronic reconnaissance ship

Diagram showing the estimated location of the Shandong aircraft carrier on April 22nd based on Philippine information and aerial photography

This is the second time this month that the Shandong aircraft carrier has passed through the strait into the Pacific Ocean, and it is also the second long-distance voyage this year. Previously, Japan's Joint Staff announced on the 1st and 2nd of this month that they had observed the Shandong aircraft carrier conducting takeoff and landing activities on the Pacific Ocean east of the Bashi Channel from the 1st to the 2nd.

Since its first out-of-chain sea training in the Pacific in April 2023, at least eight rounds of activities of the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific have been observed by Japan alone, with three rounds involving more than hundreds of takeoff and landing activities of carrier-based aircraft. In addition, after being refitted in 2024, the Liaoning aircraft carrier also made two out-of-chain voyages into the Pacific last year, leading a formation for the first time into the Sulawesi Sea and Sulu Sea between Mindanao Island, Kalimantan Island, and Sulawesi Island.

This article is an exclusive article of the Guancha Observer and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496797422741144102/

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