The two Chinese carriers currently in the western Pacific employ the older “ski-jump” launch method for aircraft, with a ramp at the end of a short runway to assist planes taking off. China’s first carrier, the Liaoning, was a repurposed Soviet ship. The second, the Shandong, was built in China along the Soviet design.

China has been increasing its presence in East Asian waters since May by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels to the region. At the same time, it has been conducting daily military drills in the Taiwan Strait, in what critics have called staging exercises of a military escalation against the self-governed island.

TOKYO/BEIJING (Reuters) -Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time, in a move that Japan's defence minister said signified Beijing's intention to further widen its capabilities beyond its borders.