The deployment of the Liaoning comes as two U.S. aircraft carriers— USS Nimitz and USS George Washington —operate simultaneously in the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea, respectively, maintaining a U.S. naval presence and projecting power across both seas.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy Liaoning Carrier Strike Group is operating southeast of Iwo Jima for the first time in one of the farthest deployments to date for the Chinese aircraft carrier, according to Japanese officials.

China has worked tirelessly to modernize and expand its naval forces and aircraft carriers over the last decade.