A new warship in times of high tension in the Eastern Pacific.
China launched the Fujian, its third aircraft carrier and the most advanced that the Asian country has built to date, into the sea on Friday.
The launch of the new ship comes amid growing threats to the United States over Taiwan, the island that Beijing considers a breakaway province and has said it will take by force if necessary.
As explained by CCTV television, it is the “first portacatapult aircraft Entirely designed and built in China.
The electromagnetic catapult is one of the most modern systems that US aircraft carriers have and is used to facilitate the landing and take-off of aircraft.
Previous reports from the Chinese Ministry of Defense indicate that it will take several years for the Fujian to reach its full operational capacity and there is still no official date of entry into service.
In fact, the launch of the ship this Friday was postponed on at least two occasions.
China has two other aircraft carriers: the Liaoning, which was commissioned in 2012; and the Shandong, which launched in 2019.
When Fujian finally goes into operation, China will become the world’s second largest number of aircraft carriers.
magazine data Janes Defense indicate that the US currently has the largest number of aircraft carriers in service, with 11 ships, followed by China and Great Britain, with two each.
how is the boat
The new aircraft carrier, of the type T003takes its name from Chinese provinces, like the previous ones.
In this case, Fujian is the closest to mainland Taiwan.
According to the state agency Xinhua, the new aircraft carrier can move with a cargo of more than 80,000 tons and is equipped with locking devices and sophisticated anchoring and mooring systems.
In addition to its catapult mechanism, it has another integrated electric propulsion system, the first of its kind in China.
The launching of the Fujian is seen as one of the most important steps China has taken to consolidate its sea power in the Pacific.
Since he came to power in 2012, President Xi Jinping has promoted a profound reform of the Army to change his priorities: a cut of 300,000 soldiers in exchange for investing more in innovation and technology to modernize his armed forces, especially the naval, air or of missiles.
According to a report presented to the US Congress in 2018, China’s Navy is on track to overtake the US by 2030.
However, a greater number of ships does not necessarily imply greater military power.
Chinese aircraft carriers have not yet been combat-tested and it is still unknown how effective the technology they are equipped with will be.
The Fujian itself will still need several years before it becomes operational and there is no guarantee that its performance can be compared to Western aircraft carriers.
complicated relationships
China and the US have disputed for years the naval power of the Pacific, but Washington had supremacy for decades.
Although things have changed in recent years, the controversies surrounding Taiwan have also increased in recent times.
Last week, China’s Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe accused the US of supporting the island’s independence and said it was “violating his promise on Taiwan” and “interfering” in China’s affairs.
“Let me make this clear: If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, we will not hesitate to fight. We will fight at all costs and we will fight until the end. This is the only option for China,” he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asian security summit held in Singapore.
These remarks came after US President Joe Biden recently said that China was “flirting with danger” by flying his fighter jets near Taiwan and then promising to offer military protection to the island if it came under attack.
The escalation in rhetoric comes as China sends more and more warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense zone and after making its biggest incursion of the year last month, while the US has sent warships through the waters of Taiwan.
