Fujian’s Launch Marks China’s Leap Toward Global Naval Power
By Alex Blackburn | 21 November 2025
Summary
The commissioning of the Fujian, China’s first domestically designed and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier, marks a defining step in the modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army Navy and showcases Beijing’s ambition to build a blue-water navy capable of global reach.
The Fujian enhances China’s ability to project power across the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing its territorial claims and complicating US and allied defence strategies, particularly around Taiwan and the South China Sea, while symbolising Xi Jinping’s broader push for military modernisation.
In the coming years, the Fujian will undergo rigorous testing before achieving full operational capability. Still, over the long term, it is expected to anchor a growing fleet that will enable China to sustain global naval operations, challenge US maritime dominance, and redefine the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.
Context
China officially commissioned the Fujian on November 5th, its most advanced and first domestically designed aircraft carrier, in a ceremony overseen by President Xi Jinping in Hainan. The Type-003 vessel marks a significant milestone in the modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Equipped with electromagnetic aircraft launch systems (EMALS) and a flat flight deck, the Fujian can launch a variety of aircraft, including the J-35 stealth fighter, the J-15T heavy fighter, and the KJ-600 early warning and control plane, at greater speed and with heavier payloads than its predecessors, the Liaoning and Shandong.
The Fujian’s commissioning signifies not just an incremental technological upgrade but a strategic leap. With its addition, China now operates three naval aircraft carriers, second only to the United States. This development underscores Beijing’s aim to transform its navy from a regional, near-coast force into a global “blue-water” fleet capable of operating far beyond its shores.
Implications
The Fujian elevates China’s maritime power projection to a new level, not only through its design but also through significant advancements over its predecessors. Measuring approximately 316 metres in length, with a beam of 76 metres, and a full-load displacement estimated at 80,000 to 85,000 tonnes, it is markedly larger and more stable than the Liaoning and Shandong, which displace 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes. Its three electromagnetic catapults (EMALS), a first for China, replace the older ski-jump launch ramps and enable aircraft to take off with considerably heavier fuel and weapons loads. This allows fighters such as the J-35 and J-15T, as well as larger fixed-wing aircraft such as the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, to operate at their full design performance in ways not possible on earlier carriers. With an expected air wing of more than 50 aircraft and an integrated electrical power system capable of supporting high-demand technologies, the Fujian can achieve higher sortie rates, conduct longer-range strike missions, and conduct more advanced surveillance operations. These combined enhancements significantly expand China’s ability to patrol, deter, and project power across the Indo-Pacific, from the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait to the broader Pacific Ocean.
Strategically, Fujian is both a practical military asset and a powerful symbol. Domestically, it highlights Xi Jinping’s success in pushing forward China’s defence modernisation programme. Internationally, it delivers a message to the United States (U.S.) and its allies that China aims to challenge maritime dominance in the Pacific. Although the Fujian does not yet match U.S. Ford-class carriers in capability, particularly in nuclear propulsion, sortie rate, and battle experience, it still represents a significant step forward for Chinese naval aviation.
Politically, a 3-carrier fleet enables China to maintain at least 2 carriers operational at any given time, significantly enhancing its regional influence. This capability complicates U.S. and allied defence planning, especially for Taiwan, which traditionally relied on the island’s mountainous east coast as a safe haven. As China’s carriers can project power further east, those sanctuaries become less secure. The Fujian also enhances China’s ability to assert its claims in the South and East China Seas and to deter or coerce neighbouring states through displays of force.
In the short term, Fujian will undergo extensive testing and crew training before reaching full operational capability, a process that could take several years. However, the long-term outlook is clear: China’s shipbuilding industry operates at an unrivalled speed, accounting for 53.3% of all global shipbuilding, and a fourth carrier is already rumoured to be under construction. As Beijing refines its carrier strike group operations, integrating destroyers, submarines, and supply ships, the PLAN will gain the logistical depth needed for sustained global deployments.
Looking ahead, the Fujian marks the start of a new maritime era. It positions China to project power well beyond the First Island Chain, potentially enabling extended missions in the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and even the Atlantic. Its presence compels the US and regional allies to reconsider their naval strategies, broaden cooperation, and adapt to a future where China is no longer a regional sea power but a global maritime force.
In essence, the Fujian is more than a warship: it is a geopolitical statement. Its launch marks China’s arrival as a true blue-water navy, reshaping the balance of power across the Indo-Pacific and challenging the naval supremacy that has underpinned US-led security in the region for decades.
Chinese Aircraft Carrier PLAN CV-18 Fujian
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/Wikimedia, CC BY 4.0
Forecast
Short-term (Now - 3 months)
Even in its developmental phase, the Fujian will likely serve as a strategic instrument of influence. Expect high-visibility deployments in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Western Pacific, designed to showcase capability, reinforce territorial claims, and test the resolve of rival powers.
The carrier’s emergence will likely galvanise neighbouring states and U.S. allies to tighten security cooperation, deepen intelligence-sharing, and expand joint naval exercises, as part of an effort to offset China’s growing maritime presence.
Long-term (>1 year)
The Fujian will almost certainly spend the next few years in sea trials and advanced training as the PLAN refines carrier aviation doctrine, EMALS operations, and coordinated strike group tactics. While not yet combat-ready, its growing presence will signal China’s transition from learning to mastering carrier warfare.
As China masters carrier operations and builds additional vessels, potentially including nuclear-powered carriers,it is highly likely that the Fujian will anchor a fleet capable of sustained operations across multiple theatres, from the Indo-Pacific to the Indian Ocean and beyond.
The operational maturity of China’s carrier program will likely compel the United States and its partners to reassess their force posture, deterrence strategy, and forward basing in Asia, thereby reshaping the naval balance that has prevailed since World War II.
Beyond its military impact, Fujian will symbolise China’s emergence as a true maritime power, using carrier diplomacy through presence missions, humanitarian deployments, and overseas basing to project influence and legitimise its status as a global strategic actor.
