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China’s military
ChinaMilitary

PLA’s Fujian aircraft carrier poses ‘substantial threat’, Taiwanese defence ministry warns

  • Fujian specs show PLA aiming for ‘far-sea operations’ that would threaten Taiwan’s naval defence, spokesman says as ministry releases latest report
  • Rapid expansion of airbases along eastern mainland coast means PLA warplanes could reach Taipei within minutes, observer warns

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The Fujian is much larger than the PLA’s two aircraft carriers currently in operation and the first to be equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system. Photo: Weibo
Lawrence Chungin Taipei
The People’s Liberation Army’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a “substantial threat” to Taiwan in the event of a cross-strait conflict, the island’s defence ministry has warned.
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Releasing its latest biennial report on Tuesday, the ministry also sounded a warning over the PLA’s rapid expansion of its coastal airbases facing Taiwan, including three from where warplanes could fly to Taipei within minutes.

“Unlike the CV16 and CV17 …, the Fujian shows that the Chinese communists are entering the stage of constructing their first flat-top battle group, meaning they are preparing for far-sea [combat] operations,” ministry spokesman Major General Huang Wen-chi said, referring to the hull numbers of the Liaoning and the Shandong – the PLA carriers currently in operation.

“This will pose a substantial threat to our naval defence in the future,” Huang said in Taipei on Tuesday, following the release of the 2023 National Defence Report.

The Taiwanese military must actively find ways to tackle this challenge, he added.

Built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the 80,000 tonne-class Fujian is the first PLA aircraft carrier to be equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system.

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This makes the “supercarrier” more advanced than the Liaoning and Shandong, which are smaller and use less-efficient ski-jump ramps to assist aircraft take-offs.

The Fujian – named after the mainland province closest to Taiwan – is preparing to undergo its first sea trials, latest photos posted online by military buffs suggest, showing covers removed from all three advanced electromagnetic catapults on its flight deck. The warship is likely to be handed over to the PLA in 2025, though an official announcement has yet to be made.

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