China has now reportedly formally commissioned its largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, in a display intended to showcase Beijing’s expanding naval ambitions. The vessel, the country’s third carrier and the first fully designed and constructed domestically, was activated this week under the oversight of President Xi Jinping, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Xi presided over the ceremony at a naval base in Sanya, Hainan, boarding the warship, addressing its crew, and activating its electromagnetic catapult system. The Fujian is designed to launch aircraft more efficiently than China’s two older carriers and to deploy early-warning radar planes, which the previous carriers cannot operate. The ship, named after the province nearest Taiwan, represents a significant technical leap for Beijing’s maritime forces.
China already maintains the world’s largest fleet by number of ships, with more than 370 surface vessels and submarines, though the United States still leads in aircraft carrier capability and operational experience. Since assuming power in 2012, Xi has sought to modernize the People’s Liberation Army and expand its reach across the Asia-Pacific, asserting claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
“The new ship’s characteristics will allow it to provide a more rounded capability and operate more effectively in a wider range of scenarios,” said Nick Childs, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, noting China’s growing confidence in deploying carriers further into the Western Pacific.
While the Fujian brings advanced features, such as electromagnetic catapults capable of launching the J-35 stealth fighter, updated J-15s, and KJ-600 early-warning aircraft, it remains conventionally powered and smaller than U.S. nuclear carriers. Pentagon assessments note that while the Fujian can deploy up to 40 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, it cannot match the operational tempo, endurance, or launch capacity of American Nimitz or Gerald R. Ford-class carriers. “Its flight deck layout appears to limit its ability to carry simultaneous aircraft launches and recoveries,” Childs said.
U.S. commanders see the development as a learning step for Beijing rather than a strategic threat. Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, overseeing operations from Guam, remarked, “China’s got three carriers. We have more. And the good news for us is that we’ve been operating them for a long, long time. The ability to operate safely and effectively at a high level of lethality is something we’ve just been doing for a long time, and China’s learning how to do.”
The Fujian’s first sea trials began last year, including a passage through the Taiwan Strait, followed by operations in the South China Sea. Analysts suggest the ship will serve both as a combat platform and a testbed for refining Chinese carrier tactics. Satellite imagery also indicates that China may be constructing a fourth carrier, potentially larger and with nuclear propulsion.
Despite Xi’s ambitions, the Fujian underscores the limitations China faces in translating quantity into capability. The United States, with 11 active carriers, unmatched training, and decades of operational experience, retains a decisive edge in carrier-based power projection. While Beijing is accelerating its naval buildup, analysts emphasize that the learning curve for carrier operations is steep, and U.S. forces maintain a commanding lead in experience, readiness, and operational reach.
In short, the Fujian marks a milestone for China’s navy, but the United States continues to hold the strategic advantage in aircraft carrier warfare, projecting power across the globe with proven capacity and unmatched experience.
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