China is racing to catch up with US military capabilities to pursue its sights on Taiwan, even by force if necessary. Beijing is building its largest aircraft carrier.
The ship, called Fujian in honor of the coastal province opposite Taiwan, it has been under construction at Shanghai's Jiangnan shipyard since 2018 and is expected to narrow the gap between the Chinese fleet and other more established world navies. It is expected to enter service at the end of next year or at the latest in 2024.
Fujian is scheduled to launch on June 3, according to analysts and media reports. But the date has been postponed due to the blockage of production in Shanghai, due to Covid-19.
"The resumption of work, after the anti-pandemic measures, was slower than expected and there was a shortage of skilled workers“, A Chinese military scholar told the Financial Times on condition of anonymity. "Even the equipment for further outfitting is not yet ready ".
Fujian is the first Chinese aircraft carrier to be fully designed and manufactured domestically.
The other two - Liaoning and Shandong - use a refurbished hull whose design was purchased from Ukraine.
The Shandong was launched in 2017 after a year of construction work and 17 months of offshore trials.
The preparation and sea trials of Fujian could take even longer because unlike the other two ships that have the ski jump to launch the planes, the new aircraft carrier is equipped with an electromagnetic catapult, as well as modern US aircraft carriers.
"The Beijing Navy will face transition challenges from normal aircraft jumps to more demanding aircraft carrier operations (ed catapult), and this could delay reaching full operational capacity".
This could lead to the same teething problems similar to those faced by the United States with the introduction of electromagnetic catapults.
China manages to build ships very quickly but takes too long to test and thus reach full operational capability. For example, Liaoning is still practicing to put together a strike group, almost 10 years after the handover. Analysts say the navy's most difficult challenge is the lack of skilled sailors and the lack of a fast and ambitious plane. An expert of the Council on Strategic and Wargaming Studies Taipei said it needed at least 3000 skilled sailors.
"The goal is to achieve a strategic balance with the United States in the Western Pacific, as well as consolidate control of the South China Sea ", said the military analyst. "The normal and ideal configuration would be 40 fighter planes per aircraft carrier, but if we look at their last drill, they currently only have 20 ″.
However, China is working on a new high-speed jet designed to be used on the new aircraft carrier.