All you need to know about Fujian, China’s newest & largest aircraft carrier

New Delhi: China made another splash this week as its newest, largest and most-advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, left Shanghai’s Jiangnan shipyard for its maiden sea trials.

Its assessment is expected to take place in the East China Sea, about 130 kilometres from the Jiangnan Shipyard where the carrier has been under construction for more than six years, according to Shanghai’s Maritime Safety Administration.

“The sea trials will primarily test the reliability and stability of the aircraft carrier’s propulsion and electrical systems,” read an announcement from the state-run Xinhua news agency.

A south China Morning Post report citing military experts said the trials would take at least another year, with the first phase focusing on power, navigation and communication systems that support the catapult and all-electric integrated power system.

The Fujian is named after the Fujian province on the south-eastern coast of China, facing Taiwan. This third carrier follows China’s old tradition of naming them after the provinces of Liaoning and Shandong.

Experts note that the naming of the third aircraft carrier after Fujian is strategic and can be seen as a direct message to the self-ruled island of Taiwan and a demonstration of China’s blue-water naval capabilities.

The Fujian, which follows the Liaoning and Shandong, was first launched in June 2022 and the first built to a domestic design. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) plans to have six carriers in total by 2035, which would make it the world’s second largest blue-water navy after the US.

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