China has new aircraft carrier: “Fujian” now on duty

Put into service

With this aircraft carrier, China is competing with the USA

With the “Fujian” China’s third aircraft carrier enters service. The People’s Republic developed the ship completely itself. What it can do and why it should compete with the USA.

China has its new aircraft carrier, which it has developed entirely in-house for the first time “Fujian” officially put into service. State and party leader Xi Jinping symbolically accepted a flag in front of more than 2,000 navy sailors at the ceremony on the island of Hainan on Wednesday, state television reported just today. Xi, who also heads the Central Military Commission that commands the People’s Liberation Army, then inspected the aircraft carrier.

Developed in China and named after the southeastern Chinese province “Fujian” is after the “Shandong” and the “Liaoning” the third aircraft carrier of the People’s Liberation Army. The “Shandong” Although China had built it itself, it was based on a Soviet ship class. The “Liaoning” China was the first of the three warships to buy from Ukraine in 1998.

In 2022, pictures of the… “Fujian” on. A few weeks ago, the warship, which is more than 300 meters long and, according to estimates, weighs around 80,000 tons, sailed for a final test in the South China Sea, where it was now anchored in Sanya on Hainan. On the way there, the colossus passed through the Taiwan Strait – the strait between China and the island republic of Taiwan, which Beijing wants to annex.

With the “Fujian” China wants to showcase the modernization of its military and navy – one of the largest in the world – ordered by President Xi Jinping. The new aircraft carrier also serves as a symbol of power in the Western Pacific, where the USA has military bases.

With the “Fujian” Beijing is catching up with the USA in terms of technology, as the aircraft carrier is equipped with a new electromagnetic catapult. So far, the USA has had… “USS Gerald R Ford” is the only country to have an aircraft carrier with this technology in service.

According to experts, the catapult enables faster aircraft launches and can be adjusted more precisely to different types of aircraft. This also means that various fighter planes and drones could take off there. Experts in Taiwan suspect that China’s aircraft carriers could set up a blockade in the event of military action against the island.