China’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian, took to the seas last week for its maiden trials, a significant moment in its naval expansion to challenge the US global presence. The new aircraft carrier is named after the Fujian province and is the largest, most advanced Chinese aircraft carrier ever built. 

Fujian carrier departed from Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard, and the trials will primarily test the reliability and stability of the aircraft carrier’s propulsion and electrical systems, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The trials will be conducted for almost two years before the carrier is inducted in another five years. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is the “largest navy” in the world, surpassing the US with over 370 battleships, the US Department of Defense said. 

‘More Heavy, More Advanced’

The Fujian carrier is expected to weigh 79,000 tons, carrying the most potent fighter jet launch system – Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). Currently, the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, uses the EMALS launch system. The other Chinese aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, use the ski-jump system.

CATOBAR and STOBAR are two types of aircraft carrier platforms. Short Take-Off Barrier-Assisted Recovery (STOBAR) comprises an elevated ski-ramp that helps a fighter jet generate lift during a take-off. The STOBAR platform limits the aircraft’s take-off weight, thus affecting the payload capacity. 

Meanwhile, the CATOBAR system uses catapults for take-off. The CATOBAR-based carriers have a steam-powered catapult system, which requires more maintenance, is heavy, and takes more space than its alternative. The EMALS catapult offers more smooth, accurate launching of an aircraft carrier, allowing heavier fighter jets to take off. 

China operates only the Chengdu J-15, the ‘Flying Shark’, fighter jets for its carrier-based operations. J-15 is a fourth-generation fighter jet, which is deployed on its STOBAR carriers. However, the US has critiqued its range/payload limitations in operations from carriers equipped with ski ramps rather than catapults. 

In 2021, China developed a catapult-based version of the fighter jet and is developing its fifth-generation fighters to match the US F-35. The US Department of Defence, in its latest report on Chinese naval modernization, said China is reportedly building a fourth aircraft carrier similar to Fujian and is expected to be nuclear-powered. The Fujian aircraft carrier will be the first conventional-energy-powered platform with the EMALS system. 

China’s Naval Expansion

Since the 1990s, China has witnessed a paradigm shift, with a focus on naval expansion rather than the PLA. The shift was driven by its economic growth through the 90s and early 2000s, which led to a rise in Chinese presence in the global economy and turned it into the manufacturing hub of the world. The PLAN slowly transitioned from a defensive-offensive arm to a force that is capable of conducting out-of-area operations and earned the tag of a Blue Water navy. 

Modernisation, which began three decades ago, focused on ship, aircraft weaponry, fighter jets, creating doctrines, training, multilateral exercises etc. The 2015 Chinese white paper of Defence called for safeguarding the Sea Links of Communication (SLOC) as part of its national interests and said the sea links are vital to China’s future. The Indian Ocean, the maritime backyard of India, is the toll-gate for global East-West trade and China is establishing maritime bases south of India to protect its Maritime Silk Road (MSR). 

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is home to about 2.5 billion people, with some global economies, like India, a regional power, having a dominant presence in the region. The Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Malacca and the Mozambique Channel are choke points in the region and routes vital to China’s global trade. 

“The vital feature which differentiates the Indian Ocean from the Atlantic or the Pacific is the subcontinent of India, which juts out far into the sea for a thousand miles. It is the geographical position of India that changes the character of the Indian Ocean.” KM Pannikar, a visionary Indian scholar said. The Navy, in its maritime doctrine, says that safeguarding the IOR is in India’s national interest. 

The US DoD suggests that although these carriers have value for China, its operations in Taiwan do not require such platforms since it is within the land-based reach of Chinese aircraft. These platforms assert dominance and are viewed as symbols of power. In a face-off between the US and China, the former will outperform and outmanoeuvre the PLAN with its prowess. Politically, aircraft carriers could be particularly valuable to China for projecting an image of China as a major world power.

China wants its navy to be able to deter “US intervention in a conflict in China’s near-seas region over Taiwan or some other issue, or failing that, delay the arrival or reduce the effectiveness of intervening US forces,” a Congressional Research Service report said.

India’s Third Aircraft Carrier

Former Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said last year that the indigenous aircraft carrier-2 (IAC-2) would be a repeat order of INS Vikrant. “We are still working on what size IAC II should be and the capabilities that are desired. But, for now, we have put a hold on it because we have just commissioned INS Vikrant and we are quite happy with the way the ship performed in the trials.” “A lot of expertise has been gained in building IAC I. We are seriously looking at a repeat order for IAC I rather than building IAC II. This would capitalize on the expertise available in the country and we could plough back into the economy,” he added. 

INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya are built on the STOBAR platform and house the MiG-29K fighter jets. The naval version of Rafale and Tejas are expected to replace the MiGs soon.

The production of INS Vishal would begin soon, but it would still take many years for the new carrier to get commissioned. The size of the Chinese economy and its three times bigger defence budget than India’s should be considered. 

The QUAD alliance between the US, India, Australia and Japan for safeguarding the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Navy’s regular multilateral exercises in the region ensure regional presence and dominance. 

Zhang Youxia, Vice-Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, speaks at the Western Pacific Navy Symposium held in Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong Province on April 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

One of China’s top military leaders took a harsh line on regional territorial disputes, telling an international naval gathering in northeastern China on April 22 that the country would strike back with force if its interests came under threat.

The 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium opened in Qingdao, where China’s northern naval force is based, providing a vivid backdrop to China’s massive military expansion over the past two decades that has seen it build or refurbish three aircraft carriers.

The two-day talks have drawn representatives from partners and competitors including Australia, Cambodia, Chile, France, India and the U.S. and comes amid heightened tensions over China’s assertive actions in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China seas, and as China’s Navy has grown into the world’s largest by number of hulls.

Zhang Youxia, the Vice-Chairman of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, which controls the armed forces, spoke of “common development” and said “decoupling, friction and confrontation will only divide the world into isolated islands guarding against each other with suspicion.”

Then he turned to China’s territorial claims, which have not been recognised under international law and in some cases have been denied. Beijing has ignored rulings not in its favour, particularly in the South China Sea, where it is in dispute with five other parties over islands, waterways and undersea resources.

Japan continues to defend its control over the uninhabited Senkaku island chain, called Diaoyu by China, in the East China Sea, against incursions by the Chinese coast guard.

Taiwan last week reinforced its foothold in the disputed South China Sea by establishing satellite communications between the main island and its garrison on Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba, the largest land feature in the highly contested Spratly Island chain. China has created seven artificial islands in the area by piling sand and cement on coral reefs and equipping them with airstrips and other military infrastructure.

Mr. Zhang said China’s territorial sovereignty “brooks no infringement and its core interests cannot be challenged. We do not provoke trouble, but we will never flinch in face of provocation. The Chinese military will resolutely defend the reunification and interest of the motherland.”

Mr. Zhang has spoken in the past of Beijing’s determination to take control of the self-governing island republic of Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory, using force if necessary. With its crucial high-tech economy, Taiwan has been building up its defences on its own and with help from the U.S., where Congress this weekend approved $8 billion in military aid for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.

Taiwan is also building its own submarines and trainer aircraft and waiting on the delivery of upgraded versions of F-16 fighters, battle tanks and other hardware from the U.S.

Mr. Zhang appeared to press China’s unilateralist approach to foreign relations and military conflicts as espoused by Xi Jinping, the top military commander, Communist Party leader and head-of-state for life, who has eliminated all dissenting views.

China “remains committed to resolving maritime disputes with directly concerned countries through friendly consultations, but we will not allow our good faith to be abused,” Mr. Zhang said. “Particularly over the self-governing island republic of Taiwan that Beijing threatens to use force to bring under its control. We will take justified actions to defend our rights in accordance with the law.”

Mr. Zhang’s comments follow a major shakeup of the Chinese military in recent months that has seen the still-unexplained disappearance of former Defence Minister Li Shangfu and several top officers in the missile corps.

Also due to speak at the gathering was the recently appointed head of the Russian Navy, Adm. Alexander Moiseyev, the Russian Defence Ministry said on April 22, according to the official Interfax news agency.

It said Adm. Moiseyev met with Adm. Hu Zhongming, commander of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, in Qingdao on April 21, and they agreed to further cooperation on search and rescue.

“The sides emphasised the importance of further developing cooperation between the two countries’ fleets for supporting security and stability on the world’s oceans,” Interfax said.

China has refused to criticise Russia’s full-on invasion of Ukraine and has held multiple rounds of drills with the Russian Navy and other armed forces branches, part of an alignment of their military and political postures to form a joint front against the prevailing U.S.-led Western liberal order.

Ukraine has developed deadly sea drones that have struck Russian Navy ships in the Black Sea. Those successful strikes have embarrassed the Kremlin.