China’s Big Test: What to Watch for as Their Latest Super Carrier Hits the Water Again

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is set to embark on its fourth test voyage soon.

On Monday, Chinese media outlets reported that the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration announced a navigation alert, stating that a large vessel would pass through the deep-water route of the Yangtze River estuary on September 3.

They will implement traffic control at the entrance of the deep-water route. The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration issued navigation alerts every time the Fujian went on trial. Therefore, analysts concluded that this latest alert is related to the Fujian.

After its third trial voyage on July 4, the Fujian returned to the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai on July 28, taking a break for over a month. Before that, it conducted its first sea trials from May 1 to May 8 and its second one from May 23 to June 11.

The Fujian, which displaced over 80,000 tons and was launched in June 2022, is the first Chinese-made aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic catapult system. Previous aircraft carriers like Liaoning and Shandong utilized the ski-jump launch method. While it took 1 year and 7 months for the Shandong to go from its first sea trial to commissioning, the Fujian is progressing through its trials more swiftly. It is expected to be officially commissioned by the end of next year.