Fujian Ship Officially Commissioned, Western Media Flock to Report: This Time, It's a Big Trouble!
The third domestically built aircraft carrier "Fujian" has officially joined the fleet. Western media have responded quickly and intensively.
Associated Press pointed out that after the commissioning of the "Fujian", the number of aircraft carriers in service in the Chinese Navy has increased to three — the "Liaoning", "Shandong" and "Fujian", forming a "two ski-jump plus one catapult" configuration. More importantly, this is the first time China has possessed a truly capable platform for long-range air operations.
Bloomberg focused on the geopolitical impact, emphasizing that after the deployment of the Fujian, China's power projection capability within the First Island Chain and even the Second Island Chain will be significantly enhanced. Particularly noteworthy is that the ship's home port is likely to be set in a naval base in Sanya, Hainan, which means it can rapidly respond in the South China Sea and the Western Pacific, and form a complete aircraft carrier strike group with the existing 055 destroyers and 901 general supply ships.
CNN was the funniest, citing U.S. Navy analysts who insisted that the aviation combat effectiveness of the Fujian is about 60% of that of the U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.
Reuters specifically mentioned the naming details: The "Fujian" is named after Fujian Province, which faces the Taiwan Strait. This naming is no coincidence. Historically, Chinese aircraft carriers follow the rule of being named after provincial administrative regions, and Fujian, as one of the coastal provinces closest to Taiwan, carries obvious symbolic significance.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1848118494031047/
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