China formally commissioned its most advanced, and first fully indigenously designed aircraft carrier, Fujian, in a major step that boosts its maritime capability and escalates the naval challenge to the United States.
A commissioning ceremony – held Wednesday in Hainan province, with Chinese President Xi Jinping attending and presenting the vessel’s flag, inspecting its flight deck. Xi also addressed the crew, asking them to “follow the party’s command, fight to win, and uphold fine conduct,” according to state media outlet Xinhua.
Named after the coastal province facing Taiwan across the strait, the Fujian is a milestone in China’s naval development: it is the country’s third aircraft carrier – but unlike the earlier Liaoning and Shandong, which had been based on Russian designs and use ski-jump ramps, the Fujian has a flat flight deck and electromagnetic catapult launch systems similar to those on the US Navy’s Gerald R. Ford-class carriers.
A Technological Leap for China’s Navy
Displacing approximately 80,000 tons with conventional propulsion, Fujian is able to launch aircraft faster, heavier, and further compared to the earlier ones. An advanced catapult system enables a wide range of aircraft to make efficient takeoffs during operations: the new J-35 stealth fighter, the KJ-600 early-warning aircraft, and variants of the J-15 fighter.
State-run media hailed the launch as a “major milestone” in the modernization of China’s navy, already the largest globally by number of vessels. The addition of Fujian showcases rapid progress in shipbuilding under Xi’s helm and a growing ambition to project military power farther into the Indo-Pacific. https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/china/china-aircraft-carriers-fujian-b2860532.html
Strategic Implications
According to analysts, the Fujian sets up China with a much more advanced air operations platform, potentially altering power dynamics both in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
“This ship represents a generational leap in China’s maritime capabilities,” Collin Koh, a defense researcher at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said. “The Fujian narrows the technological gap with the US Navy and signals China’s intent to operate further from its shores.”
The US Navy maintains its qualitative edge, operating 11 nuclear-powered supercarriers, while China’s fleet remains entirely conventionally powered. The Fujian is an advanced design, however, and analysts say it brings China closer than ever to parity with American carrier technology.
From Trials to Combat Readiness
Before commissioning, the Fujian undertook extensive sea trials in which Chinese engineers tested both the electromagnetic catapult and flight operations. The speed at which it reaches full combat readiness-usually a matter of several years. It is now closely watched by regional military observers.
Analysts will gauge the Fujian’s integration into active operations by monitoring its future deployments and coordination with support ships and submarines.
Naval Race Intensifies
The commissioning of Fujian underlines the growing naval contest between China and the United States. This comes at a time when Washington is trying to forge alliances with Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, while China has expanded military exercises and naval patrols across disputed waters in the South China Sea. Against a backdrop of simmering tensions over Taiwan and the broader Indo-Pacific, it was more than just a technological milestone that the induction of Fujian represented: it reflected a more assertive maritime approach whose reverberations may be felt throughout regional security for a generation to come.
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