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In a striking display of digital assertiveness, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy marked the commissioning of its third and most advanced aircraft carrier, Fujian (Hull 18), by directly replying to StratNewsGlobal’s post on ‘X’, BharatShakti’s sister platform, — a clear indication of Beijing’s sensitivity to critical voices from South and Southeast Asia. The PLA’s military handle boasted: “Aircraft Carrier Fujian, Commissioned! China’s PLANS Fujian (Hull 18), the first catapult-assisted aircraft carrier, was officially commissioned on Nov. 5, 2025… marking the dawn of China’s three-aircraft-carrier era.”
The Fujian’s commissioning at Sanya, Hainan Province, attended by President Xi Jinping himself, underscores not only China’s growing maritime confidence but also its intent to showcase indigenous technological advancement. According to Xinhua, Xi boarded the carrier, received operational briefings, and was personally involved in approving the use of electromagnetic catapult systems, a decision that significantly enhances the ship’s combat potential.
With a full-load displacement exceeding 80,000 tonnes, Fujian represents a generational leap in Chinese naval capability. It is China’s first carrier equipped with electromagnetic launch and recovery systems, a feature previously exclusive to the U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford. This advancement enables aircraft to take off with higher payloads, increased fuel, and enhanced sortie rates compared to the ski-jump decks of the earlier Liaoning and Shandong.
Interestingly, while the U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford remains the only other carrier using electromagnetic launch systems, the technology itself has drawn criticism at home. President Donald Trump recently derided it as “expensive, unreliable, and difficult to repair,” calling for a return to traditional steam catapults, a contrast that Beijing may find politically opportune to highlight.
The Fujian underwent sea trials in May 2024, roughly two years after its launch in mid-2022, and was commissioned about 40 months later, a timeline that compares favourably with the U.S. Ford-class carriers. The ship is expected to operate China’s new-generation stealth fighter, the J-35, and integrate both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, significantly enhancing its strike and surveillance capabilities.
Strategically, Fujian’s commissioning underscores Beijing’s intent to project power far beyond its shores. Analysts project that China could field up to six aircraft carriers by 2035, marking a rapid expansion aimed at challenging U.S. naval dominance in the Indo-Pacific region. Satellite imagery has already hinted at the construction of a fourth carrier.
For India and other regional maritime powers, this development is a reminder of China’s determined march toward blue-water dominance. The Fujian will augment Beijing’s capacity to maintain a near-continuous carrier presence in sensitive theatres, including the South China Sea and areas proximate to Taiwan, where the Liaoning and Shandong have previously conducted coercive drills.
Beyond technological triumph, Fujian’s commissioning is a strategic theatre, aimed at consolidating Xi Jinping’s narrative of military modernisation under the “strong army dream” and reinforcing China’s capacity to deter U.S. intervention in a Taiwan contingency.
In essence, the Fujian does not merely expand China’s naval fleet; it symbolises the PLAN’s arrival as a truly global force. For India, this accentuates the urgency of accelerating indigenous carrier capability, sustaining maritime domain awareness, and deepening regional naval partnerships to preserve balance across the Indo-Pacific littoral.
Ravi Shankar
