China launched its third aircraft carrier, CCTV reported on Friday. The vessel, named Fujian, was launched in a Shanghai shipyard, where it has been under construction since 2018.
The new ship is the "first catapult aircraft carrier wholly designed and built by China", the report added.
"Sailing and mooring tests will be carried out as planned after the ship is launched", CCTV stated.
The ship was launched as tensions between China and the US regarding the Taiwan issue are brewing: Washington pledged to boost the island's defence to protect it from "provocative and destabilising" moves, while Beijing lambasted the American side for meddling into Chinese internal affairs and violating the "One China policy", which stipulates there the US recognises only the PRC government and considers Taiwan to be a Chinese province.
Beijing stressed that Taiwan is a part of China and would be peacefully reunited with the rest of the country over time, while Taipei maintains it is autonomous. Formally, the US recognises that the PRC is the island's sole legitimate government, but it also maintains relations with Taipei, providing weaponry to the island.
China on Friday launched its biggest and most modern aircraft carrier, marking a major military advance for the Asian superpower.
The announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and the United States over Beijing’s sabre-rattling towards Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province to be seized by force if necessary.
China’s carrier development programme is part of a massive overhaul of the People’s Liberation Army under President Xi Jinping, who has vowed to build a “fully modern” force to rival the US military by 2027.
The new carrier, named Fujian, is the “first catapult aircraft carrier wholly designed and built by China”, said state broadcaster CCTV.
Columns of sailors in white uniforms applauded under colourful clouds of smoke as jets of water arced over the gigantic vessel to mark its launch.
Collin Koh, a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said it could be a “game changer” for the Chinese navy.
“The conventional flight deck with (electromagnetic catapults) will at least in theory allow the carrier to launch aircraft faster and with heavier payloads — which constitute key deciding factors during battle,” he told AFP.
“At a strategic level, the new carrier heralds the coming of age of a blue-water PLA Navy.”
Blue-water navies are able to operate around the world at vast ranges.
It will take years before the Fujian becomes operational, however. Authorities have not said when it will enter service.
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