China has launched its third aircraft carrier, the first to be designed and built entirely in the country, marking a major military breakthrough for the Asian superpower.
The announcement comes as tensions between China and the United States have risen in recent weeks over Beijing’s scale of swords to Taiwan’s self-government, which it sees as a separatist province to be taken for granted. quite if necessary.
Launched at a high-speed Shanghai shipyard, the Fujian is technically more advanced than other Chinese carriers.
It is the “first catapult aircraft carrier fully designed and built by China,” said state broadcaster CCTV.
It will be years before Fujian reaches its operational capacity, and the Ministry of Defense has not announced a date for entry into service.
“The navigation and mooring tests will be carried out as planned after the launch of the vessel,” CCTV reported.
China has two other aircraft carriers in service. Liaoning was put into service in 2012 and Shandong entered service in 2019.
Unlike Fujian, they use a ski jump-style platform to launch planes and do not have a catapult launch system.
The United States has the most aircraft carriers in service, with 11 ships, followed by China and the United Kingdom, with two each, according to defense magazine Janes.
Chinese warships have repeatedly sailed through the strait separating the island from the mainland and used fighter jets to repel U.S. freedom of navigation patrols and their allies.
Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe warned his US counterpart last week that Beijing “would not hesitate to start a war, whatever the cost” if Taiwan declared independence.
President Xi Jinping has overseen a review of the People’s Liberation Army since he came to power in 2012 and has pledged to build a “fully modern” force that will rival the U.S. military by 2027.
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The growth of China’s armed forces comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, as Washington seeks to strengthen military alliances in the Asia Pacific region.
Last year, the United States reached a historic deal with Britain to share nuclear submarine technology with Australia, and has since made several arms sales to Taiwan, prompting angry responses from Beijing.
Meanwhile, China negotiated an unprecedented security deal with the Solomon Islands this year that blinded Washington and its allies, fueling fears of another Chinese military base in the Pacific.