China’s Fujian Aircraft Carrier: China now has a new big ship called Fujian and it is the third aircraft carrier of China and the first one that China built fully by itself. This shows that China’s navy, called the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), is getting stronger and bigger. The PLAN already has the largest navy in the world, and this new ship makes it even more powerful.
China and US Navy
The new ship is named after Fujian Province in East China. It has a flat flight deck and uses a new system called electromagnetic catapults, or EMALS. This system helps fighter jets fly off the deck faster and with more power. Until now, only the US Navy had ships with this EMALS system. With Fujian, China is moving closer to matching the US Navy and its huge carrier fleet that sails all around the world.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping attends commissioning of China’s #Fujian aircraft carrier #AircraftCarrier
SANYA — Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 5 attended the commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian (Hull 18), China’s first aircraft carrier equipped… pic.twitter.com/yGsixRP1mX
— China Military Bugle (@ChinaMilBugle) November 7, 2025
During the ceremony for Fujian, three types of planes were seen on its deck. These were the new J-35 fighter jet, the heavier J-15T fighter, and the KJ-600 early-warning aircraft. The state media called this moment a “major milestone” for the PLAN. The news agency Xinhua said, during the ceremony, “J-35 and J-15T fighter jets and the KongJing-600 early warning aircraft were parked in sequence on the deck.”
Xi Jinping’s Role
Reports said it was President Xi Jinping himself who decided that the Fujian should have the new electromagnetic catapult system. This decision makes the ship very advanced. Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times that this new ship would bring big changes to the navy. “The new aircraft carrier will bring major changes and capability enhancements for the PLAN,” he said. He also explained that “the first is the use of EMALS, which enables the fighter jets to take off with full fuel and ammo, enhancing the combat radius and attack capabilities of these jets.”
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Zhang also said that the EMALS system helps the ship launch planes faster. “The EMALS will also improve the aircraft carrier sortie rate,” he added.
Fujian Joins the Other Carriers
Now China has three carriers: Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian. These ships can work together in a three-carrier formation to protect China’s interests in far seas. Zhang said the Fujian will help create a combat system for deep-sea missions. It will mix both attack and defense power, especially with the KJ-600 early warning aircraft working from the carrier.
He also said, “The commissioning of the Fujian makes the deployment of dual carriers in the PLA South China Fleet a reality, which will undoubtedly have a strategic deterrence effect on the Taiwan independence secessionist forces and some certain countries with malicious intentions toward China.”
