China’s Fujian aircraft carrier set for maiden sea trials after authorities tell shipping to stay out of prohibited area

The warship is China’s first to use an advanced electromagnetic catapult that allows fighters to be launched more frequently
The authorities imposed a series of shipping controls near the mouth of the Yangtze days after state media said sea trials for the carrier were ‘coming soon’

China’s military

Yuanyue Dangin Beijing

Published: 8:47pm, 30 Apr 2024

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China appears to be preparing for the first sea trials of its most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, after it imposed maritime traffic controls around the mouth of the Yangtze River for “military activities” starting on Wednesday.

The announcement came days after state media reported that the carrier would be starting trials “soon”.

The Jiangnan shipyard, where the carrier was built, is located at the mouth of the Yangtze.

A notice from the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration said “military activities” would be carried out in a designated area in the East China Sea between 7am on May 1 and 9am on May 9. “Unrelated vessels” are prohibited from entering the area during the time.

A separate notice announced traffic controls on ships exiting a deep water channel without giving a reason.

Yue Gang, a retired People’s Liberation Army colonel, noted that the prohibited area announced by the authorities was 57km (35 miles) wide and 68km long.

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“This is in line with the range of sea trial activities for large military vessels, and may be the area where the aircraft carrier Fujian is conducting its first sea trial operations,” Yue said.

He added that the traffic controls were divided into two periods: “The first may be for the security formation, which goes out ahead of the main formation, clearing the route and setting up alerts, and the second is to ensure that the main formation leaves the port smoothly.”

State media has already signalled that the sea trials are likely to start soon. Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Military Academic Research Institute, told state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday that they were “coming soon and not far away”.

China’s Fujian carrier moves positions, stepping closer to sea trial: analysts

It is rare for traffic controls to be imposed on major waterways without a specific reason being given. The last time it happened on the Yangtze was in December 2022 when former president Jiang Zemin’s ashes were scattered at sea.

The Fujian, which was launched in June 2022, is China’s first aircraft carrier to be equipped with electromagnetic catapults that allow aircraft to be launched more frequently. CCTV broadcast a side view of the ship’s advanced launch system earlier this year.

The USS Gerald R Ford is the only other aircraft carrier in the world equipped with electromagnetic catapults, although four more Ford-class carriers have been announced with plans to build five more at some unspecified point in the future.

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What is known about the Fujian, China’s first home-designed aircraft carrier

Carriers need several years of trials before they can enter service and the Ford was commissioned in 2017 but was only sent on its first deployment in 2022.

The Fujian is China’s third aircraft carrier, and the first to be built to a domestic design. The PLA’s plan is to have a total of six carriers by 2035, making it the world’s second largest blue-water navy after the United States.

Taiwan’s defence ministry has warned that the Fujian would pose a “substantial threat” to the island in the event of a cross-strait conflict.

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Beijing regards Taiwan as part of China, to be reunified by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington opposes any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to arming the island to help it defend itself.

Additional reporting by Amber Wang