A U.S. satellite took high-resolution photos of the Chinese aircraft carrier, CNS Liaoning, as it navigated through the Bohai Sea. Meanwhile, China’s latest and most advanced aircraft carrier, CNS Fujian, set off on its fifth sea trial. It is another milestone in Beijing’s increasing naval capabilities.
The CNS Liaoning, displacing 66,000 tons, was captured by the Landsat 8 satellite on 20 November sailing off the northeastern coast of China. The carrier, which was commissioned in 2012, has been a game-changer in promoting the PLAN, which recently conducted an operation with two carriers in the South China Sea before docking back in its Qingdao base.
Meanwhile, CNS Fujian, an 80,000-ton vessel and the PLAN’s third carrier, left Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard for its latest sea test earlier this week. Online images suggest that the ship is advancing tests on its electromagnetic catapult system, well ahead of the older ski-jump ramps used by earlier Chinese carriers.
Military observers speculate the Fujian is undergoing catapult-assisted takeoff and recovery trials for the next generation of aircraft to be on board carriers, like the J-35 fighter and KJ-600 early warning aircraft. The system will place Fujian in the top tier with some of the world’s advanced carriers, positioning China’s maritime power projection for better dimensions.
As China solidifies itself as the world’s largest navy with more than 370 vessels, most of the progress from the PLAN has gone largely unnoticed by analysts. Fujian might reportedly join its predecessor into active service by 2025 or 2026 and be fully integrated into the fleet on an equal footing with CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong.
The developments indicate that China is taking steps to strengthen its naval power and consolidate its dominance in the Pacific region. That is how it should evoke strategic rebalancing among these neighbors and, indeed, world powers generally.
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