On November 5, 2025, China formally commissioned its newest and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, at a naval base on the southern island of Hainan. The ceremony, attended by President Xi Jinping, marked a pivotal moment in Beijing’s decades-long quest to transform the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) into a force capable of projecting power far beyond China’s shores. The Fujian is not only China’s third aircraft carrier but, crucially, the first designed and built entirely domestically—a milestone in the country’s military modernization campaign aiming for 2035, according to Xinhua and multiple international outlets.
At an estimated 316 meters in length and 76 meters in width, with a full displacement of roughly 85,000 tonnes, the Fujian dwarfs its predecessors, Liaoning and Shandong. Those earlier carriers, commissioned in 2012 and 2019, were heavily based on Soviet-era blueprints and featured ski-jump ramps to assist in launching aircraft. In contrast, the Fujian boasts a flat deck equipped with three Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS), a cutting-edge technology previously exclusive to the U.S. Navy’s Ford-class carriers. This innovation makes China only the second country in the world to field EMALS on its carriers, as reported by Fox News and AP.
The EMALS system represents a quantum leap in carrier operations. Unlike steam-powered catapults, EMALS can launch heavier, fully armed aircraft with more fuel and larger payloads, expanding both the range and the operational flexibility of the Fujian’s air wing. The carrier’s complement includes J-15T fighters—an upgraded, catapult-launchable version of China’s mainstay carrier fighter—the advanced fifth-generation J-35 stealth fighter, and the KJ-600 early warning and control aircraft. The KJ-600, structurally reminiscent of the U.S. E-2 Hawkeye, is a critical asset for operational visibility far from land-based support, but requires catapult launches only possible from the Fujian and future carriers under construction, including one at the Dalian shipyard that began in 2024.
China’s state media has showcased videos of aircraft being launched from the Fujian, signaling Beijing’s growing confidence in operating larger and more complex warships. While the carrier will continue sea trials and flight tests before becoming fully combat-ready, its commissioning is a clear signal of Beijing’s ambition to build a true blue-water navy—one capable of sustained operations across the Indo-Pacific and potentially into the wider Pacific, where U.S. carriers have long reigned supreme.
President Xi Jinping’s presence at the commissioning underscored the political and strategic significance of the event. The Fujian’s launch is a central pillar of Xi’s sweeping military overhaul, designed to counter U.S. influence in the Indo-Pacific and secure China’s overseas interests. “China’s carriers cannot just operate near home, they must operate in the distant oceans and far seas to carry out various training and support missions,” Hong Kong-based military expert Song Zhongping told the AP news agency. “Our overseas interests span the globe, we need to be globally present.”
The geopolitical implications of the Fujian’s arrival have not gone unnoticed. Japan, in particular, is watching warily. Minoru Kihara, Japan’s former defense minister and current chief cabinet secretary, remarked that China is “extensively and rapidly strengthening its military power without transparency.” He warned that Japan was monitoring China’s activity and would “calmly but decisively respond” if necessary. This sentiment reflects growing regional anxiety, especially as the Fujian sailed through the Taiwan Strait in September 2025 during scientific research trials and training missions. The carrier’s presence in these contested waters, coupled with demonstrations of the J-35 stealth fighter, has fueled concerns that China’s expanding naval might could be used to blockade or even invade Taiwan—a democratically governed island with deep geopolitical and economic significance in the U.S.-China rivalry.
China’s naval ambitions extend beyond the hardware. The country has funneled billions into defense, aiming to modernize its forces by 2035. A fourth carrier, reportedly with nuclear propulsion, has been under construction since 2024, a development that would allow for greater operational range by virtually eliminating the need to refuel. The U.S. Department of Defense estimates that China could have as many as six aircraft carriers by 2030. In terms of sheer numbers, China’s navy is already the world’s largest, with over 700 warships and submarines and more than 1,000 active vessels. By comparison, the U.S. Navy operates just over 200 active ships, though it maintains a significant edge in aircraft carrier capability with 11 nuclear-powered carriers, as noted by Fox News.
Yet, experts caution that numbers and new technology do not automatically translate into combat effectiveness. “It is possible that China’s capabilities are overstated,” Singapore-based aerospace engineer Tang Meng Kit told the AP. “Real-world operational readiness lags behind its showcased arsenal.” Analysts at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) echoed this view, noting that while the Fujian marks a significant step in China’s blue-water navy ambitions, “the PLA must still resolve the significant operational challenges that come with such a rapid build-up.”
The Fujian’s electromagnetic catapult system has also sparked debate in the United States. Former President Donald Trump, speaking aboard the USS George Washington, criticized EMALS as unreliable and costly, advocating a return to steam-powered catapults and hydraulic elevators. “They’re spending billions to build stupid electric. And the problem is, when it breaks, you have to send it up to MIT.... The steam — you can fix it with a hammer and a blowtorch. And it works just as well, if not better,” Trump told assembled sailors. This skepticism stands in contrast to China’s embrace of the technology, which defense analysts say is key to the PLAN’s modernization.
Despite the fanfare, the Fujian is conventionally powered, limiting its endurance compared to the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered fleet. This means that, for now, China still faces logistical challenges in sustaining carrier operations far from home waters. Nonetheless, the commissioning of the Fujian is widely seen as a wake-up call for Washington and its allies, highlighting the need for vigilance and a clear-eyed assessment of Beijing’s growing capabilities. “Beijing is implementing a massive and methodical military modernization and expansion campaign that seeks to combine dominant capacity with growing capability, demonstrating both Beijing’s regional and global ambitions,” Bradley Bowman, Senior Director at FDD, told FDD Flash Brief.
The Fujian’s launch has reignited debates, not only about the future of naval warfare, but also about the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. The United States continues to maintain a robust carrier strike group presence in the region, conducting regular freedom-of-navigation operations near disputed islands to counter China’s territorial assertions. Meanwhile, diplomatic channels remain open, with U.S. and Chinese defense officials reportedly agreeing to establish military-to-military communications to reduce the risk of conflict.
As China presses ahead with its naval ambitions, the world is watching closely. The Fujian’s commissioning is more than a technological milestone—it’s a statement of intent from Beijing, signaling a new era in the contest for maritime supremacy in the twenty-first century.
