Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, a spokesman for the Navy, said on June 10 in Beijing that the strike groups' operations were "a part of routine training arrangements set by our annual work plan, and is intended for improving our units' ability to fulfill their duties. It is in line with the international law and common practice by other navies, and is not targeted at any specific nation or objective."

Currently, the Navy operates two aircraft carriers — the Liaoning and the Shandong.

Both have a standard displacement of around 50,000 metric tons and a conventional propulsion system, and they use a ski jump system to launch their J-15 fighter jets.

The country has built a third aircraft carrier — the CNS Fujian, which is the largest and mightiest warship any Asian nation has ever built. It is also the world's largest non-American aircraft carrier.