Chinese Liaoning carrier group transits waters near Philippines

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Liaoning Carrier Group was spotted transiting waters off Mindanao, specifically passing through the Zamboanga Peninsula region. The fleet, which includes the aircraft carrier Liaoning and three guided-missile destroyers—the Type 055 vessels Wuxi and Anshan, and the Type 052D destroyer Huainan—was tracked moving southeastward toward the Celebes Sea.

In response to the transit, the Philippine Navy deployed frigates and patrol ships, including the BRP Diego Silang and BRP Emilio Jacinto, to shadow the fleet alongside the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Sarangani. The Philippine Air Force also provided aerial reconnaissance using helicopters and light transport aircraft.

The deployment occurs as the Chinese formation moves through the western Pacific, potentially overlapping with the Keen Sword military exercise conducted by the US Navy’s USS Theodore Roosevelt and allied forces from Japan, Australia, Canada, and France. While the Chinese group is operating in the same strategic region, there is no confirmation of deliberate confrontation with the allied exercise.