In a week that underscored the scale of modern power projection, China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, officially entered service - a £5.4 billion behemoth that can carry up to 60 aircraft and rival the most advanced vessels in the U.S. Navy.

The launch marks another phase in Beijing’s bid to build a blue-water navy, capable not only of defending its territorial claims but also of asserting its influence across global waters. Yet military analysts say the Fujian’s real significance lies not in combat readiness but in symbolism — a floating declaration that China intends to match the United States in visible power.

“The Fujian is as much a diplomatic statement as it is a weapon,” said Dr. Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy at King’s College London. “It tells the world that China now sees itself as a global maritime power.”

Fujian: The Pride of China’s Modern Navy

Weighing more than 80,000 tonnes, the Fujian is China’s third and most advanced carrier, named after the coastal province facing Taiwan. Unlike its predecessors, it uses electromagnetic catapults — a technology previously exclusive to U.S. carriers — allowing fighter jets to launch with heavier payloads and greater frequency.

Built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the vessel can deploy a mix of J-35 stealth fighters, KJ-600 airborne early-warning planes, and Z-18 helicopters, effectively extending the reach of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) deep into the Pacific.

President Xi Jinping hailed the carrier as a “strategic guarantee” for safeguarding China’s maritime sovereignty. But observers note the timing: its launch comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, renewed military drills near Taiwan, and growing rivalry with Washington over influence in the Indo-Pacific.

America’s Answer: Bigger, Faster, Smarter

The United States remains the world’s dominant naval power, operating 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, the most expensive warship ever built at $13 billion.

Yet Beijing’s rapid naval expansion is forcing Washington to rethink how it projects deterrence. The U.S. Navy’s next-generation Ford-class carriers now integrate advanced radar, electromagnetic launch systems, and drone compatibility — upgrades designed to keep pace with China’s evolving fleet.

“The era of uncontested American dominance at sea is ending,” said Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Commander. “China’s navy is growing not to fight — but to be seen.”

The Pentagon has also accelerated joint naval exercises with allies such as Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, framing the Pacific as the core arena of 21st-century competition.

Costly Prestige Projects

For both powers, aircraft carriers represent more than military hardware — they are floating embodiments of national prestige and political power.

China’s Fujian, estimated to cost £5.4 billion, is less than half the price of a U.S. supercarrier but still a monumental expense amid Beijing’s slowing economy. Likewise, the United States continues to spend tens of billions maintaining an aging fleet at a time when critics argue that hypersonic missiles and cyber warfare are redefining the rules of naval engagement.

“Carriers are icons of 20th-century warfare trying to survive in the 21st,” said Lyle Goldstein, research director at Defense Priorities. “But they remain vital for showing up — and being seen — in contested waters.”

The Geopolitical Theatre

The Fujian’s commissioning comes as the U.S. Navy’s USS Theodore Roosevelt begins a Pacific tour — a not-so-subtle demonstration of counter-presence. Both vessels are expected to operate within striking range of Taiwan and the South China Sea, where U.S. freedom-of-navigation missions regularly test China’s territorial claims.

Beijing’s media has portrayed the Fujian as a deterrent to “foreign interference,” while Washington emphasizes its alliances and open-sea commitments. Analysts say the dual messaging underscores a shifting global narrative — one where showmanship at sea is as crucial as actual combat capability.

“This is strategic theatre,” said Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund. “Neither side wants war — but both want the world to watch.”

The Takeaway

As the Fujian glides into open waters and the U.S. Navy counters with its own power displays, the Pacific Ocean is once again the stage for a 21st-century maritime rivalry.

Aircraft carriers, once tools of war, have become instruments of identity — symbols of who leads, who follows, and who dares to claim the oceans as their own.

The question now isn’t which navy can build the biggest ship, but which can control the narrative of power that sails with it.