China’s newfound expertise in carrier operations shouldn’t be a surprise, even as the West is only now acknowledging the sudden capabilities held by Beijing.

Two decades ago, the United States Navy could claim it operated more aircraft carriers than the rest of the world combined. That statistic is no longer true; in the intervening years, several US allies, including the UK and Japan, have built new carriers or converted amphibious assault ships into de facto carriers.

Yet, even as there are more carriers in service worldwide, a far more significant threat to US naval dominance is that the nation soon to have the largest fleet of flattops after the United States—and the one most likely to be a potential adversary.

How China Built a Mighty Carrier Fleet

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) did not have any carriers at the start of the 21st century, but Beijing played a long game, slowly gathering information and expertise on naval aviation over decades. This strategy has paid off, as Beijing’s third carrier, and second to be domestically built, is likely to enter service in the coming weeks.

In a media briefing on Thursday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said the commissioning of the Fujian “will not be far away,” adding, “Fujian‘s tests and training are progressing smoothly according to plan, and the day everyone is looking forward to will not be far off.”

The PLAN’s latest carrier may not be nuclear-powered like those of the United States Navy, but it is still an advanced warship with significant capabilities.

The Type 003 Fujian has been conducting tests of its electromagnetic catapults, successfully launching its Shenyang J-35 fighter-generation aircraft in the most recent sea trials. The US Navy has yet to carry out launches of its fifth-generation multirole fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II, via the electromagnetic catapults on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). It is unlikely to do so until at least next year, or in early 2027—the year that some experts have argued China intends to invade Taiwan.

All Going According to PLAN

The PLAN, which was established on April 23, 1949, has evolved from a small riverine littoral flotilla to become the world’s largest naval force by number of hulls, with much of the expansion occurring only in the past two decades. The Chinese navy’s expansion reflects Beijing’s maritime ambitions to operate a formidable blue-water force.

China’s naval ambitions can be traced back centuries, to the seven voyages of Admiral Zheng He during the Ming Dynasty in the early 15th century. Zheng’s fleets were composed of huge oceangoing ships—far larger, more numerous, and technologically advanced than the caravels of his contemporary Spanish and Portuguese explorers. The vessels sailed throughout Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean on missions of trade, diplomacy, and friendship—at least according to Chinese sources. Zheng’s voyages marked a direct contrast to the Europeans, who sailed as colonizers intent on conquering the known world. But unlike the Europeans, the Chinese had little interest in colonial expansion, and after Zheng returned to China, the fleet never sailed again.

China’s current maritime strategy is less clear. It may seek to expand its power projection around the globe, while also protecting its direct claim to much of the South China Sea, noted for its rich mineral and other resources. China’s aircraft carriers will play a significant role in both.

China’s Slow Road to Carrier Operations

China’s newfound expertise in carrier operations shouldn’t be a surprise, even as the West is only now acknowledging the sudden capabilities held by Beijing.

The PLAN’s carrier aspirations can be traced back to the 1980s, when China purchased the ex-Australian HMAS Melbourne (R21), a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1955 to 1982. It had been the third and final conventional carrier used by the RAN.

The warship had been laid down as HMS Majestic during World War II and was launched in 1945. However, the war ended, and instead of serving with the UK’s Royal Navy, it found a new life with the RAN. After decades in service, followed by a period spent in a mothball state, HMAS Melbourne was sold for scrapping. Beijing stepped up and paid $1.4 billion—an unseemly amount of money for a vessel seemingly destined for the scrap heap. 

That should have set off alarm bells at the time. Only two years before, after all, the United States Navy sold its last two conventionally-powered carriers to a Texas-based scrap yard for just one penny each. And Beijing clearly knew it was buying!

When the retired RAN warship arrived in China in 1985, engineers carefully studied every aspect of the ship’s design. Although the Australians had removed all the modern and sensitive technology ahead of time, Chinese engineers showed great interest in the remaining equipment—notably the catapults, arrestor wires, and aircraft lifts/elevators. The flight deck was thoroughly examined, then dismantled and reassembled on land to allow PLAN pilots to use it for landing practice. A larger replica was built to help further jumpstart China’s carrier program.

It was only in 1994 that scrapping efforts on the Melbourne began. They continued for another eight years, during which time every crucial part and component was reportedly reviewed, cataloged, and studied. 

The Liaoning: China’s Great Leap Forward in Naval Capabilities

The extent to which Beijing gathered insight from the former HMAS Melbourne remains debatable. Still, it should be seen as a colossal mistake that had gifted insight that could have taken decades to develop otherwise.

China then made another great leap forward in naval aviation by purchasing an unfinished Soviet-designed flattop after the end of the Cold War. Following the collapse and dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, construction on the unfinished Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Varyag was halted. The warship was transferred to Ukraine, which was unable to complete its construction; throughout the 1990s, as in the rest of the former Soviet Union, Kyiv suffered from economic turmoil, and had little desire for an aircraft carrier.

Accordingly, the unfinished vessel was put up for sale, and the stripped hulk was purchased by a Chinese firm, reportedly to be converted into a floating hotel and casino. It was towed to China, only to be left to deteriorate in the elements for several years.

For a while, it seemed unlikely it would be used as a tourist attraction, let alone a warship, and would be little more than scrap metal. However, Beijing had other plans and may have secretly been eyeing the carrier from the outset. China’s shipyards were expanding, but building a carrier was still beyond its capabilities.

However, in the early 2000s, China was able to refurbish and complete work on the former Soviet aircraft cruiser. Eventually, it became China’s first aircraft carrier, the Type 001 Liaoning, thereby fulfilling Beijing’s decades-long ambition.

By completing the work on the Liaoning, Beijing was able to build its first domestically-produced flattop, the Type 002 Shandong. That, in turn, led to China designing and developing the Type 003 Fujian. The Type 004 carrier, the next to be produced, is speculated to be nuclear-powered—and China could operate upwards of six flattops by the mid-2030s!

It is doubtful the PLAN would be where it is now had it not purchased that former Soviet carrier, or gleaned secrets from the RAN flattop.

Correcting the Century of Humiliation

Beijing’s carriers and blue water navy ambitions are part of the ongoing efforts to correct the wrongs of China’s “Century of Humiliation,” the period from 1839—the beginning of the First Opium War, in which China was defeated and forced to import the narcotic drug from the British—until 1949, the end of the Chinese Civil War and the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese government properly views that era as a catastrophe, and has sought to ensure that China can never again be put in such a position. The country’s defeat against Japan during the First Sino-Japanese War served to underscore the importance of naval power—a lesson that China has never forgotten.

As its third carrier is about to enter service, China will be the second-largest operator of such warships. How it will employ those aircraft carriers has yet to become clear, but it is likely to be more than just on missions of trade, diplomacy, and friendship.