Aircraft carriers are one of the most visible symbols of a country’s military power. China is among a small handful of countries that possess multiple aircraft carriers. On November 5, 2025, China commissioned its third aircraft carrier, named Fujian, into the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The Fujian, equipped with an electromagnetic catapult launching system (EMALS), is considerably more advanced than China’s second carrier Shandong and first carrier Liaoning, but it still lags more capable U.S. carriers in certain aspects.
Key Facts
- Construction of the Fujian reportedly began at Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard in March 2017, and on June 17, 2022, the carrier was launched to great fanfare. The Fujian took approximately 104 months from the start of construction to commissioning into the PLAN. In comparison, China’s Shandong carrier took 72 months.
- The Fujian is the first Chinese carrier to feature a “catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery” (CATOBAR) launch system. China’s first two aircraft carriers rely on less advanced ski jump-style “short take-off, barrier-arrested recovery” (STOBAR) systems. Notably, the Fujian leapfrogged steam-powered catapult systems and instead relies on an electromagnetic system similar to the EMALS pioneered by the U.S. Ford-class carriers. Compared to its predecessors, the Fujian’s more advanced system enables it to launch heavier fixed-wing aircraft with greater fuel and payload capacity.
- The Fujian is larger than its predecessors, which allows it to support a more robust airwing. It displaces roughly 80,000 tonnes, compared to the Liaoning’s 60,000 tonnes and the Shandong’s 66,000. The Fujian is also considerably larger than France’s Charles de Gaulle carrier (42,000 tonnes) and the United Kingdom’s HMS Queen Elizabeth (65,000 tonnes), but smaller than the U.S. Navy’s Ford-class carrier (100,000 tonnes).
- While the Fujian is more advanced than its Chinese predecessors, it is still conventionally powered rather than nuclear-powered. Meanwhile, all U.S. carriers and France’s Charles de Gaulle are nuclear-powered.
How the Fujian Stacks Up
The table below provides a breakdown of some of the key characteristics of each of China’s aircraft carriers. To learn more, explore these ChinaPower pages on the Liaoning and Shandong.