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Breaking News: China to commission third aircraft carrier Fujian to expand operations in Pacific and Indian Oceans.
According to information published by the South China Morning Post on August 23, 2025, China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, could be officially commissioned next month during the 80th anniversary of victory over Japanese aggression. A video released by state broadcaster CCTV suggested that the commissioning may coincide with the September 3, 2025, military parade in Beijing, China, an event designed to showcase the growing strength of the People’s Liberation Navy.
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The Fujian is China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the first equipped with electromagnetic catapults, marking a major step in the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s ability to project power into the Pacific and Indian Oceans. (Picture source: China Social Network)
The Fujian, designated Type 003, represents a decisive leap in Chinese carrier technology as the first vessel equipped with electromagnetic catapults. Unlike the ski-jump decks of its predecessors Liaoning and Shandong, the Fujian’s CATOBAR system allows the launch of heavier and more diverse aircraft, including advanced variants of the J-15T fighter jet and the KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft. Satellite imagery released in July 2025 showed the ship conducting flight deck preparations, and in August CCTV confirmed simulated catapult trials with carrier-based fighters.
Launched in June 2022 at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, the Fujian has completed at least eight rounds of sea trials, progressing from basic propulsion tests to complex aviation operations. Naval analysts underline that this rapid pace reflects Beijing’s determination to close the technological gap with the United States Navy, whose Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers also rely on electromagnetic launch systems.
The commissioning of the Fujian would mark China’s transition into a genuine three-carrier fleet, significantly increasing its ability to sustain long-range operations across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. For the first time, the People’s Liberation Navy will have the capacity to deploy modern carrier strike groups with organic early warning and electronic warfare capabilities. This shift will enhance Beijing’s ability to project power well beyond the First Island Chain, directly affecting the strategic balance in the South and East China Seas.
By aligning the commissioning with the politically symbolic Victory Day parade, China is reinforcing both its historical narrative of resistance and its message of naval strength. The debut of the Fujian in operational service is expected to send a powerful signal to regional rivals, particularly Japan and Taiwan, while underscoring Beijing’s ambitions to challenge U.S. maritime dominance in Asia.
The Fujian, with an estimated full load displacement of between 80,000 and 85,000 tons and a length of around 316 meters, is powered by a conventional integrated system capable of sustaining electromagnetic catapults. This launch technology places China alongside the United States as the only navy fielding CATOBAR carriers. Its projected air wing of over 60 aircraft will include J-15T carrier-based fighters, KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft, and helicopters for anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue missions. Unlike the Liaoning, a refurbished Kuznetsov-class ship commissioned in 2012 and used primarily for training, and the Shandong, China’s first domestically built carrier commissioned in 2019 with a ski-jump deck, the Fujian is the first truly operationally advanced platform designed to rival Western standards of naval aviation.
The introduction of the Fujian places China in a new league of naval power. With three aircraft carriers now in service, the People’s Liberation Army Navy will be able to maintain a continuous operational cycle of training, deployment, and maintenance. This allows at least one carrier strike group to remain combat-ready at all times, bringing Beijing closer to the operational doctrine long practiced by the U.S. Navy.
When measured against its international counterparts, the Fujian stands as a transitional carrier bridging the technological gap with the world’s most advanced platforms. The U.S. Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, with nuclear propulsion and unlimited range, still maintain a decisive advantage in terms of sortie generation, endurance, and power projection, while the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, though nuclear-powered, operates on a smaller scale with a displacement of around 42,000 tons and a limited air wing. China’s Fujian, however, positions itself between these extremes by combining modern electromagnetic launch technology with large-deck capacity, though it lacks nuclear propulsion. This gives it significant operational reach in regional theaters, even if its global endurance remains constrained compared to U.S. nuclear-powered carriers.
The strategic impact of this development cannot be overstated. Japan, currently modifying its Izumo-class ships to operate F-35B fighters, now faces a regional rival with the ability to field fixed-wing airborne early warning aircraft, a capability Tokyo lacks. For Taiwan, the presence of a carrier able to launch larger strike packages with extended persistence poses a new challenge to its already overstretched defense planning. At the global level, the Fujian signals China’s emergence as a true blue-water navy and a competitor to the U.S. Navy, with potential deployments extending into the Indian Ocean and further afield. This development will accelerate regional security partnerships such as AUKUS and the Quad, as allied nations adapt to a shifting balance of naval power.
From a European perspective, the commissioning of the Chinese Navy's Fujian also carries wider strategic consequences. China’s naval expansion coincides with growing activity in the Mediterranean and along African littorals, where Beijing has already established a permanent presence in Djibouti and continues to expand port access agreements. NATO planners are increasingly aware that a fully operational Chinese carrier force could eventually appear in regions where European navies maintain key interests, particularly in safeguarding sea lanes between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. For France, the Fujian’s arrival strengthens the argument for a successor to Charles de Gaulle, while the United Kingdom and Italy may reassess the scope of their F-35B carrier programs to ensure credible interoperability and deterrence. In the long term, the Fujian underscores that Europe cannot afford to view China’s naval rise as a purely Indo-Pacific concern, but rather as a global factor that will shape NATO maritime posture well into the coming decades.