Chinese Liaoning Carrier Near US Theodore Roosevelt as Taiwan Drill Intensifies

China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier, accompanied by destroyers Wuxi, Anshan and Huainan, sailed into the Philippine Sea, reaching roughly 25 nautical miles southeast of Balut Island before heading northeast, according to Philippine Navy monitoring. The formation disabled its AIS, complicating civilian tracking. Its presence overlapped with the US-Japan “Keen Sword 27” exercise, which runs from Oct. 19-29 and features about 45,000 Japanese and 11,000 American personnel, 260 aircraft and 40 warships, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group operating with allies from Australia, Canada and France.

Experts said the deployment is largely theatrical, intended to warn the United States against interference in China’s perceived sphere, while noting that actual combat risk remains low. Chinese officials maintain the cruise is routine training, and US analysts argue geography would limit any escalation. Japanese defense officials also reported Chinese reconnaissance aircraft near Okinawa and Taiwan during the drills.