Overview
- The Fujian was formally inducted Wednesday in Sanya on Hainan island at a ceremony attended by Xi Jinping, according to state media.
- It becomes China’s third aircraft carrier and the first that China both designed and built, reflecting stated goals to modernize by 2035 and reach “world‑class” status by mid‑century.
- Displacing about 80,000 tons, the carrier introduces electromagnetic catapults that enable heavier, longer‑range launches, a technology otherwise fielded only on the US Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford.
- Analysts say the ship enhances China’s ability to project power beyond its coast, though the United States maintains advantages in carrier numbers, technology and global basing.
- Former US carrier officers told CNN the Fujian’s deck layout could limit sortie rates to roughly 60% of a 50‑year‑old US carrier, and the conventionally powered ship must refuel at sea or in port.