A French Aircraft Carrier Sailed Into China’s Backyard. It Was Met by 40 Chinese Warships.

Key Points and Summary – During a recent five-month deployment to the Pacific, a French carrier strike group led by the flagship Charles de Gaulle had a tense “meeting” with a Chinese aircraft carrier in the South China Sea.

-French senior officers revealed their ships were under “constant surveillance” and were shadowed by Chinese warships as soon as they entered the region.

-They observed a “substantial” force of 30 to 40 Chinese naval vessels operating in the area.

-The mission, France’s first Pacific carrier deployment since the 1960s, was designed to uphold freedom of navigation, underscoring the growing military tensions in the region.

The French Navy Just Did Something That Really ‘Annoyed’ China

Clemenceau 25 was a five-month deployment by the French Carrier Strike Group (CSG) which, per Naval News, “strengthened diplomatic ties and enhanced joint naval operations with its allies and partners.” The mission was led by the Charles de Gaulle, the French Navy’s flagship.

The mission, which involved nearly 3,000 sailors and wrapped up in April, was an “opportunity to demonstrate France’s commitment to preserving freedom of navigation in accordance with international law, and to interact with some twenty allied or partner countries,” the report said.

Also, according to another report from the same publication, the mission had a close call with China.

Naval News reported earlier this week that, at a private event, senior officers from the French Navy shared previously unknown details from the Clemenceau 25 mission, which was the first time the French Navy had deployed to the Pacific since the 1960s.

There were no “clashes” during the mission, per the report. Still, the carrier group was under “constant surveillance,” which included both an encounter with a Russian Su-35 near Syria and a “meeting” with a Chinese aircraft carrier in the South China Sea.

“The presence of the French CSG is both annoying and of great interest to our competitors. As soon as we entered the Luzon Strait, we were shadowed, in particular by a PLAN Type 54 frigate,” one senior officer told Naval News.

A Chinese “Meeting”

The French Navy told Naval News that “they counted between thirty and forty Chinese ships (not counting the militias’ small vessels) in an area equivalent to three-quarters of the Mediterranean,” which they considered a “substantial” number. And that’s in addition to having “met” a Chinese aircraft carrier in the South China Sea.

The admiral in the meeting also told the press that no French ships passed through the Taiwan Strait during the mission.

“At the time, we didn’t think it would be useful to go through the Strait. One of our frigates, the ‘Prairial’, had already done so a few months earlier,” an officer told the publication.

Newsweek reported that France is one of three European countries that have deployed aircraft carriers near China since 2021, as part of the European Carrier Group Interoperability Initiative. That publication also reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment but did not appear to receive a response.

Sailing Through the Middle East

The mission also carried the group through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and through the Straits of Hormuz, although this was before the Israel/Iran war or the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear sites.

Per Naval News, “there was no shortage of tense moments” during this part of the mission, although “neither the aircraft carrier nor its escort were targeted” by Houthi rebels in that region.

“The geostrategic situation had changed between our first passage and our return: the American bombing raids on the Houthi positions had taken place in the meantime. So, the situation was even more tense. There was a ‘fear’ that the Houties would mistake our aircraft carrier for an American”, a senior officer told Naval News.

The Start of the Mission

Last December, when the Clemenceau 25 launched, USDI News acknowledged the beginning of the mission.

“The French CSG and its embarked air group also includes three frigate escorts, a fleet oiler and a nuclear-powered attack submarine,” the USDI story said. It also cited the French Ministry of the Armed Forces’ release stating that they would “integrate several foreign vessels during its mission.”

“CLEMENCEAU 25 will develop interoperability and cooperation with partners and allies from the Mediterranean to the Pacific Ocean. This mission will also contribute to France’s capacity for autonomous situation assessment, which is essential for preventing crises and, if necessary, intervening,” the French release had said.

About the Author: Stephen Silver 

Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.

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