China has officially entered the three aircraft carrier era, marking another milestone in its rapid military modernization. While Beijing’s newest carrier, the Fujian, is undoubtedly an impressive warship, military analysts caution that having three carriers is not the same as having three fully operational carrier strike groups. Even so, China’s latest moves show that it is steadily expanding both its naval reach and its ability to pressure Taiwan and challenge the United States throughout the Indo-Pacific.

The Fujian Makes Another Statement

On June 23, China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait, one of the world’s most politically sensitive waterways. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed the transit and announced that it had activated “its joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance measures to closely monitor” the carrier’s movements. Taiwan also released an aerial photograph of the vessel as it passed through the strait.

Beijing described the voyage as routine training, but few analysts see it as merely another exercise. The transit came just as Taiwan launched a five day military exercise designed to prepare for a possible Chinese invasion. China has increasingly normalized military activity around Taiwan, with warships, coast guard vessels, and combat aircraft operating near the island on an almost daily basis.

The Fujian is China’s third aircraft carrier and was commissioned in November 2025. It is considered China’s most advanced carrier and, according to the U.S. Naval Institute, is the world’s largest conventionally powered aircraft carrier. Unlike China’s first two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, the Fujian uses an electromagnetic aircraft launch system similar in concept to the newest American carriers.

A Powerful Ship With Important Limitations

Although the Fujian represents a major technological leap, experts warn that China’s carrier force is still very much a work in progress.

China now owns three aircraft carriers, but it does not yet possess enough trained pilots, carrier aircraft, flight deck crews, maintenance personnel, and logistical infrastructure to operate all three at full strength simultaneously. The challenge goes well beyond simply building more ships.

China’s first two carriers use ski jump launch ramps, while the Fujian relies on an advanced electromagnetic catapult system. That means China must effectively operate two completely different carrier aviation ecosystems at the same time. Pilots, maintainers, flight deck crews, and aircraft must all be trained differently depending on which carrier they serve aboard.

Military analysts note that carrier aviation is among the most difficult military specialties in the world. Pilots must master night operations, rough weather recoveries, rapid launch cycles, complex electronic environments, and the unique challenge of landing on a moving flight deck. Transitioning pilots from ski jump carriers to electromagnetic launch systems only increases the complexity.

If China attempted to deploy all three carriers with full air wings today, it would likely require roughly 100 carrier capable aircraft, along with enough reserve aircraft, instructors, maintainers, and logistics personnel to sustain long term operations. Analysts believe that capability has not yet been fully developed.

A Fleet Still Learning

Current evidence suggests each of China’s carriers serves a different role.

The Liaoning recently completed more than 40 days of operations in the Western Pacific before returning to Qingdao. The Shandong has reportedly spent several months undergoing major maintenance at Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island. Meanwhile, the Fujian appears to be transitioning from testing toward more realistic operational training in the South China Sea.

Taken together, analysts believe this reflects a gradual evolution rather than a fully mature carrier force.

As one assessment concluded, China “has entered the age of three carriers, but not yet the age of fully mature three carrier operations.”

Fu Explains China’s New Operational Thinking

China’s recent naval exercises also revealed how Beijing intends to use its expanding fleet.

The Liaoning recently completed more than 40 days of combat training in the South China Sea and Western Pacific alongside the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Anhui. The exercises also included China’s large YY-20 aerial refueling tanker.

Military analyst and former PLA Air Force officer Fu Qianshao explained that amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers perform different but complementary missions.

“Aircraft carrier forces can provide fire cover and support for amphibious assault ships during landing operations, while both sides can also provide services and take off and landing platforms for each other’s shipborne helicopters,” Fu said.

He added, “Flexible coordination between the two types of warships can strengthen maritime assault capabilities.”

Fu also highlighted the growing importance of aerial refueling. Speaking about the YY-20 tanker, he explained that, “The YY-20 has a large fuel capacity and can transfer fuel quickly. It can also take off from a land based airfield and remain on standby while circling in a mission area. Carrier based aircraft can enter the area at any time to refuel.”

That capability significantly expands the operational range of China’s carrier aircraft.

China’s Air Power Is Growing Just as Fast

China’s naval expansion is being matched by an equally impressive buildup in military aviation.

Pentagon assessments, commercial satellite imagery, and open source analysis indicate that China is dramatically increasing production of its J-20 fifth generation stealth fighter while simultaneously constructing facilities for even newer aircraft such as the J-35.

Satellite imagery shows approximately 278,700 square meters of new manufacturing space added at Chengdu since 2021, including five parallel J-20 production lines. Another 370,000 square meters of factory space has been identified at Shenyang, where the J-35 is being produced. Analysts describe the combined facilities as possibly the largest stealth fighter manufacturing complex in the world.

Production has accelerated rapidly. Estimates suggest China produced roughly 40 J-20 fighters annually in 2022. By 2025, analysts estimated annual production had increased to between 100 and 120 aircraft, with some believing output could rise even further.

Some analysts also believe China’s combined production of J-20, J-35, and J-16 fighters could approach 400 advanced combat aircraft per year by 2027. If achieved, that would exceed the annual military aircraft production of Lockheed Martin and Boeing combined.

A Military Build Up Worth Watching

None of this means China has surpassed the United States militarily. American forces continue to maintain significant advantages in combat experience, pilot training, operational integration, and sustainment.

However, China’s direction is unmistakable.

The Fujian’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates Beijing’s determination to normalize aircraft carrier operations in disputed waters while steadily improving its ability to project power farther from its shores. At the same time, China’s rapidly expanding stealth fighter production shows that it is investing heavily in the industrial capacity needed to sustain a long term military buildup.

China still faces important limitations, particularly in carrier aviation and the personnel required to operate multiple carrier strike groups simultaneously. Yet those shortcomings appear to be developmental rather than permanent.

For the United States, Taiwan, and America’s allies throughout the Indo-Pacific, the message is clear. China is not standing still. It is steadily building the ships, aircraft, infrastructure, and industrial base that could make it an even more formidable military power in the years ahead. Careful monitoring of these developments will remain essential as Beijing continues its long term effort to reshape the military balance in the Pacific.