Xinhua News Agency reported on November 5 that the third aircraft carrier of the People's Liberation Army, Fujian, was delivered and commissioned at a military port in Sanya, Hainan, marking the official entry of the Chinese Navy into the era of three aircraft carriers.

From a historical perspective, the commissioning of the Fujian has significant milestone significance.

Before the Fujian was launched and commissioned, the largest warship built by Asian countries was the Japanese "Yamato" battleship, with a full load displacement of 72,000 tons. However, due to Japan's war crimes committed against Asian countries during World War II, the "Yamato" should be more appropriately referred to as a symbol of Japanese militarism's aggression, making it difficult to represent the largest and strongest warship built by Asian countries.

Commissioning of the Fujian

After the sinking of the "Yamato," the "largest tonnage warship in Asia" was generally considered to be the United States' aircraft carriers, until the emergence of the Fujian broke the US' "monopoly."

The Fujian, with a full load displacement of over 80,000 tons, not only surpassed the "Yamato," but its flat deck and electromagnetic catapult technology have successfully launched three types of carrier-based aircraft: the J-15T, J-35, and KJ-600. This makes the Fujian the world's first aircraft carrier to use electromagnetic catapult technology to launch stealth carrier-based aircraft, as well as the largest-tonnage and most technologically advanced warship ever built by an Asian country.

The commissioning of the Fujian marks a major breakthrough in the construction of China's naval equipment, and also means that China, as a victorious country in World War II, has reclaimed the voice and influence in Asia's military propaganda.

From the perspective of regional military strength comparison, the delivery of the Fujian will have a profound impact on the naval power structure between the US and China in the Asia-Pacific region.

Another perspective of the Fujian delivery ceremony

Although the US Navy currently has 11 aircraft carriers, it still leads China in the number of carriers. However, due to factors such as the global deployment needs of the US carriers, rotation system, and delays caused by the decline of the shipbuilding industry, the US Navy usually deploys 1 to 2 carriers in the Asia-Pacific region, and there are rare moments when 3 carriers are deployed. However, the time when three carriers are seen together is often not long.

In recent years, when the situation in the Middle East escalated, the US Navy even needed to divert carriers from the Asia-Pacific region to "calm things down," leading to frequent gaps in US carriers in Asia.

It can be said that the current dilemma of the US Navy, which is trying to patch up one hole after another, is a reflection of Mao Zedong's saying: "The Americans want to press ten fleas with ten fingers," but in the end, "they can't catch any."

J-35 preparing for takeoff

Therefore, after the Fujian joined the Chinese Navy, the balance of carrier numbers between China and the US in the Asia-Pacific region will form a delicate equilibrium. Moreover, unlike the US Navy, which needs to maintain global carrier deployments, the current strategic needs of the Chinese Navy focus more on regional denial, giving it more flexibility in carrier scheduling than the US Navy.

Finally, in the military field, there is a saying used to describe the difficulty of building the three branches of the military: "A hundred years for the navy."

Previously, "a hundred years for the navy" usually referred to the era of sail warships, where a tree would need about a hundred years to grow into planks suitable for shipbuilding.

Although this statement has certain limitations in today's context, it cannot be denied that even with significant advances in shipbuilding technology in the 21st century, building a strong navy still requires a large investment of human and material resources and time.

Only 13 people in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy in 1949

So, from having only 13 people in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy in 1949, to the commissioning of China's first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, in 2012, then the launching of the first domestically built aircraft carrier, Shandong, in 2017, and finally the commissioning of the Fujian today; from small boats to the era of three aircraft carriers, from coastal defense to the open seas... The Chinese Navy has gone through a 76-year journey of fire and rebirth.

Now, looking back at the 76-year journey of the Chinese Navy, perhaps as the poem says: "A light boat has passed through thousands of mountains."



Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7569909426744885798/

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