Overview
- Xi Jinping presided over the commissioning ceremony in Sanya, Hainan, where state media showed him receiving a flag before inspecting the ship.
- Xinhua reported a live demonstration of the electromagnetic catapult, with imagery indicating readiness to operate J-35 stealth fighters, J-15T jets and KJ-600 early-warning aircraft.
- At roughly 316 meters and about 80,000 tons, the conventionally powered carrier lacks nuclear propulsion, and analysts question its range and launch tempo compared with U.S. Ford-class ships.
- The vessel conducted trials that included a transit of the Taiwan Strait, highlighting Beijing’s intent to extend naval operations into the South China Sea and broader Pacific.
- U.S. assessments put China’s warship count near 400 this year, and reporting points to work on a fourth carrier and a land-based naval reactor prototype as leadership shake-ups remove senior navy figures.