China launches sea trials for next-generation aircraft carrier

China on Wednesday launched sea trials for the Fujian, its third and most advanced aircraft carrier, state media reported. CCTV reported the Fujian had set out to sea from a shipyard in Shanghai just after 8 a.m.

China on Wednesday launched sea trials for the Fujian, its third and most advanced aircraft carrier, state media reported. The start of tests by the Chinese navy came nearly two years after the new aircraft carrier was first unveiled in June 2022.

The Fujian, entirely designed and built domestically, is larger and more advanced than the Shandong, commissioned in late 2019, and the Liaoning, which China bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998. CCTV reported the Fujian had set out to sea from a shipyard in Shanghai just after 8 a.m. (0000 GMT).