China Commissions Third Carrier Fujian

China commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, on Wednesday in a ceremony at a naval base in Sanya on Hainan Island, marking a key advancement in the People's Liberation Army Navy's capabilities. President Xi Jinping attended the event, inspected the vessel and declared it ready for service, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The commissioning, reported by state media on Friday, involved about 2,000 representatives from the navy and organizations that built the ship.

The Fujian represents China's first fully domestically designed and constructed aircraft carrier, a departure from its earlier vessels. Measuring 316 meters long with a displacement of more than 80,000 tons, it features a flat flight deck equipped with electromagnetic aircraft launch systems, or EMALS. This technology allows for the launch of heavier, fully loaded aircraft, including the J-35 stealth fighter, the J-15T variant and the KJ-600 early warning and control plane, which were tested during sea trials. State media reported that new-generation carrier-based aircraft were parked in sequence on the flight deck during the ceremony. The system reduces wear on planes compared to traditional...