This month, multiple media sources reported that China’s Fujian aircraft carrier has entered service at Hainan’s Sanya naval base, underscoring Chinese President Xi Jinping’s drive to build a blue water navy.The 80,000-ton Fujian, China’s first fully indigenous carrier and third overall, features electromagnetic catapults that can launch J-35 stealth fighters, J-15T strike aircraft and KJ-600 early-warning planes with heavier loads and at longer ranges, narrowing the qualitative gap with the US’s nuclear-powered supercarriers.
Commissioning Fujian strengthens China’s ability to project air and sea power, extend surveillance and pressure Taiwan and rival claimants in regional maritime disputes, while supporting operations and logistics sites farther afield.
