President Xi Jinping has graced the official commissioning of China's new warship, Shandong, on Tuesday. The event marked a vital milestone in Beijing's naval capability as the Shandong is the first carrier built in the country.
The commissioning was held in Sanya, a port located in Hainan, the country's southern island province. The ceremony was attended by the country's finest leaders aside from the president himself. Among those who graced the celebration were Vice-premier Liu He, Chief of Staff Ding Xuexiang, China's top economic planner He Lifeng, and chief of the joint staff department Li Zuocheng. The former commander of the frigate Lianyungang was appointed as the captain of the ship.
The Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, based in Liaoning province, started building the aircraft carrier in November 2013. The keel for its hull was laid down in a dry dock in March 2015.
Shandong was officially introduced to the public as simply "Type 001A" in April 2017 at the Dalian Shipyard. A year later, in May, it was set out for its first sea trial.
The interest in the Shandong is higher than when China's first carrier was first officially commissioned in 2012. This was because Liaoning was only a refitted carrier from Russia's Soviet Kuznetsov.
Shandong is also proving to be of greater capacity than Liaoning. It can carry as many as 36 J-15 fighter jets while the latter can only transport 24 of the same jets.
China, meanwhile, has also been constructing its third yet to be named aircraft carrier, "Type 003." The country has started construction in January 2018. According to unnamed sources, Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard Group was heading the construction.
Unconfirmed reports said the Type 003 will be the most hi-tech of its kind, so far, that would come out of China. The third aircraft was reportedly going to be the first Chinese surface ship powered by nuclear propulsion. This means the aircraft will have the capacity to launch aircraft using steam or electromagnetic catapults.
There is no official announcement yet when China's third aircraft would be launched. Previous reports, however, said that the Asian powerhouse aims at having four aircraft carriers officially enter service by 2030.
According to naval experts, China is positioning itself as a country with more military muscle than the United States. Indeed, with 300 warships, The People's Liberation Army Navy is the largest in the world, according to a March analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
By comparison, the US Navy only has 287 warships, the United Kingdom has 75, and Australia has 48. China has more warships that Germany, India, Spain, and the U.K. combined.
