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China’s aircraft carriers

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China’s aircraft carriers
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China’s aircraft carriers. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China's military weapons

In Focus | Beyond the numbers: why China’s carrier force won’t copy the US model

Defence experts say PLA carrier fleet is expected to complement land-based forces and extend reach into the western Pacific and beyond.

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China's military weapons

Why submarine attacks may prove the Achilles’ heel for China’s new carrier fleet

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China-Japan relations

Japan sounds alarm over China’s expanding Pacific footprint, vows defence boost

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US-China relations

Open Questions | China’s military goal is to stand neck and neck with US: ex-PLA colonel Zhou Bo

Prominent commentator shares insights on the PLA’s 2027 goal, competition with the US, the Taiwan issue and the peacetime dilemma.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Taiwan

Will Philippine Sea be the main battlefield for PLA carriers in a Taiwan war?

As Chinese forces push into the western Pacific, analysts say that carrier groups could be used to frustrate any intervention.

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China's military weapons

China’s Type 076 ship Sichuan enters final tests with stealth drone catapult

CCTV computer-generated footage shows how the 40,000-tonne Sichuan uses electromagnetic catapult to launch GJ-21 drones.

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China's military weapons

Is China building a bigger support ship for its future Type 004 carrier group?

New satellite imagery offers insight into how Beijing plans to keep future strike groups supplied at sea.

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Analysts are examining satellite imagery of China’s Comec Longxue shipyard near Guangzhou for insight into how China’s navy plans to operate. Photo: Google Earth
China's military weapons

What China’s carrier recruitment drive says about PLA Navy’s long-term ambitions

Beijing is committed to building a fleet that can operate far from home – even in the face of the growing threat from anti-ship missiles.

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China's military weapons

Will China’s Fujian be the first carrier with anti-torpedo system to beat subs?

Defence magazine points to lightweight torpedo launcher in place of the 12-tube depth charge launchers on earlier Chinese carriers.

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China's military weapons

Could China’s containerised aircraft launcher reshape rules of modern warfare?

Details of a growing family of standard-sized weapon systems appeared on social media, along with video of an EMALS in action.

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A drone is launched from an electromagnetic catapult system using interconnected trucks that form a continuous platform. Photo: BIT/WeChat
China's military weapons

Why it matters that China’s advanced fighters can use all its carriers

While the J-15T was designed to use an advanced launch system, new images show it operating from the older Liaoning carrier.

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Analysts say the J-15T's ability to take off from, and land on, all of China’s aircraft carriers has implications for the country’s combat integration. Photo: CCTV
US-China relations

Asia defence spending

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Asian allies to raise military spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, saying that countries could no longer “free ride” on American taxpayers.

China's military weapons

PLA’s advanced carrier Fujian transits Taiwan Strait amid military drills

The vessel’s passage comes a day after island starts a five-day exercise to boost its combat readiness.

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China's military weapons

What is China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning testing – and why does it matter?

Forty days of training in South China Sea and western Pacific Ocean comes amid a push for extended range and amphibious coordination.

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The Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group is said to have returned to its home port in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Monday, after completing more than 40 days of far-sea combat training. Photo: CCTV
China-Japan relations

China says it warned off multiple Japanese ‘provocations’ during carrier drills

State media airs footage of several encounters involving warships and planes during the Liaoning carrier group’s recent operations in the Pacific.

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Screenshot from the video aired on Chinese state TV showing a Japanese warship. Photo: CCTV
China’s military

Why do China and other powers still want aircraft carriers?

Submarines and drones are ‘the story of naval warfare in the 21st century’ but carriers continue to be an important symbol of military might.

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China’s military drills

Type 054B frigate makes carrier force debut with Liaoning for live-fire drills

No sign of J-35 stealth fighter but the PLA Navy’s newest and most advanced frigate makes its carrier force debut.

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US-China relations

Why the US missile system heading to Japan could be a ‘sitting duck’ for China

This approach could be used ‘to strike our land-based targets on one hand, and block vital maritime passages on the other’: Chinese analyst.

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The coming deployment will mark the second time the US has positioned the Typhon missile system in Japan. Photo: Reuters
China’s military drills

Breaking the chain? Why Hainan holds the key to survival for China’s carriers

Sanya naval complex in country’s island province gives warships room to manoeuvre and counter US first island chain, report says.

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China's military weapons

Is China building the world’s largest naval support ship?

Photos of a giant hull released by state-owned shipbuilder trigger speculation that the vessel will be used to supply carrier groups.

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China's military weapons

Could all of China’s aircraft carriers soon operate J-35 stealth fighters?

Only one vessel can now host the cutting-edge jet, but satellite images and state media hints indicate that might be changing.

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Analysts say it is highly likely that China’s older two carriers will receive the upgrades needed to host the J-35 stealth fighters. Photo: Xinhua
China's military weapons

PLA’s new Type 076 ‘drone carrier’ set for South China Sea training drills

China’s next-level amphibious warship, the Sichuan, in same waters where US, Japan and the Philippines are conducting joint military exercises.

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China’s first drone-carrying Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, on its maiden sea trial last November. Photo: CCTV
China's military weapons

Shandong’s use of PLA dry dock near South China Sea suggests carrier milestone

China may avoid a ‘carrier gap’ and could support carrier operations along the Indian Ocean to the Middle East and beyond, analysts say.

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China's military weapons

China’s next generation of warships will be propelled by a 50MW gas turbine

The advanced technology is part of Beijing’s push to establish a self-reliant supply chain for sectors deemed critical to national security.

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China’s navy

US Navy aircraft crashes offer lessons for PLA carrier operations, analysts say

Chinese military could learn from rival’s strengths in search and rescue response, but also its weaknesses in maintenance and training.

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Two US Navy aircraft based on the USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea within half an hour of each other in October. Photo: Handout
China's military weapons

China’s ‘carrier killer’ hypersonic missile YJ-20 in final testing: video

Chinese military’s recently unveiled longest-range missile appears to be nearing mass production.

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The Chinese military released footage on Sunday of the YJ-20 hypersonic missile in a test launch from a Type 055 destroyer. Photo: China Military Bugle
China's military weapons

A look at China’s ‘Flying Shark’ J-15 jet that made waves near Japan

Fighter in service for more than a decade often patrols potential conflict hotspots including the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

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China's military weapons

Is China’s Fujian gearing up for a dual aircraft carrier exercise?

Satellite images indicate the vessel has docked with the Liaoning at a naval base in the country’s east.

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