The reason America is afraid of China’s naval progress.
The rapid development of China’s navy, from aircraft carriers to submarines to anti-ship missiles, and its connection to China’s strategy to expand its naval presence on the world stage has raised concerns for the United States.
The Chinese Navy announced the launch of the third aircraft carrier during a ceremony held at the Shanghai Shipyard in the country’s capital. Formerly known as the Type 003, this aircraft carrier is now officially known as the Fujian, a coastal province of China, and is the most powerful aircraft carrier in the world after the United States.
The Chinese Navy’s ambition to operate domestically-built aircraft carriers dates back to the 1970s, but its real path to this goal began in 1985, when Beijing purchased four Soviet-built aircraft carriers for research purposes. It took Beijing until 2012 to produce its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, or (Type 001), however, the Liaoning was not a fully Chinese product, but an incomplete Soviet aircraft carrier that the Chinese bought, completed and They allocated it for educational purposes.
By 2017, Beijing launched the Shandong, or 002, its first fully domestic aircraft carrier, followed by the Fujian this year in 2022, and estimates show Beijing is aiming to have six aircraft carriers by 2023. to be
However, China’s efforts to modernize its navy are not limited to aircraft carriers. China currently has the world’s largest navy in terms of number of ships and operational units, with a total of about 355 ships, compared to only about 300 for the US Navy.
But while China leads in the number of ships, the US Navy remains the most powerful, lethal and dominant nation on the world stage, far ahead of other powers. However, the problem from the Americans’ point of view is that the maritime gap between them and China is steadily shrinking.
