China announced it has commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian. With it, China is steadily closing the gap to US naval capabilities in the region.
On Friday, Chinese media reported that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has officially taken its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, into service at a naval base on the southern Chinese island of Hainan.
The state news agency Xinhua said the commissioning ceremony had been held on Wednesday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping in attendance.
International reactions have been guarded. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary and former defense minister Minoru Kihara said that Japan was observing China’s military activity and would respond “calmly but decisively ” if necessary.
Fujian is also the name of the Chinese coastal province facing the island of Taiwan in the South China Sea.
The innovations that make the Fujian aircraft carrier relevant
The Fujian is the first carrier that China designed and built independently. The first two, the Liaoning and Shandong, commissioned in 2012 and 2019, relied heavily on Soviet blueprints.
The new carrier is equipped with an advanced takeoff technology — a sort of electromagnetic catapult known as EMALS — that is able to launch heavier jets than older steam-powered technologies, allowing for more fuel and a wider range, as well as a larger payload.
It also allows for the deployment of heavier reconnaissance planes, which are essential for providing ships with operational visibility when out of range of land-based support.
Previously, this lauch capability had been exclusive to Ford-class carriers — named after the world’s largest warship to date, the USS Gerald R. Ford — in the US navy.
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