'Source of anxiety': China’s new Fujian aircraft carrier pushes India, Japan and South Korea to upgrade

After China launched its new Fujian aircraft carrier last month, countries like India, Japan and South Korea are bolstering their naval capabilities to counter growing Chinese influence in the region, according to a South China Morning Post report, citing analysts.

The new Fujian aircraft carrier, a next-generation 80,000-tonne aircraft carrier larger than those operated by India or Japan, is equipped with electromagnetic catapults that can deploy fighters more frequently.

China currently operates two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong.

China aims to have six aircraft carriers by the end of 2035 – making it the world’s second-largest blue-water navy after the US, which currently has an 11-strong carrier fleet.

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Former Indian naval officer C Uday Bhaskar told South China Morning Post that China’s assertiveness was putting pressure on Asian nations to build out their naval capabilities.

“China is seen as a source of anxiety by some Asian nations, including India. There is concern about China’s revisionist agenda and this can rapidly morph into a threat,” South China Morning Post quoted Bhaskar as saying.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced last month that India would soon begin constructing its third aircraft carrier. Analysts believe this addition is crucial for the Indian Navy to compete with China’s capabilities.

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Bhaskar, a director at the Society for Policy Studies in New Delhi and an honorary fellow of India’s National Maritime Foundation, noted that Japan and South Korea are exploring methods to engage with Beijing to foster practical and peaceful coexistence.

“These nations see their navies as insurance for the long term, if they decide to go down that path [engage in a war],” Bhaskar added.

In April, Japan unveiled upgrades to its first aircraft carrier, the Kaga, which originally entered service in 2017 as a helicopter carrier. The Kaga has now been upgraded to carry Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters.

The Kaga will undergo a second round of hull modifications in 2026-27 to further support its role as a carrier for fixed-wing warplanes.

Kaga’s sister ship, the Izumo, commissioned in 2015, will also be modified, with the process expected to be completed in 2027. Both ships were initially commissioned as helicopter carriers with the potential to be upgraded for fixed-wing fighters if necessary.

After the upgrades, each ship will be able to carry 12 fighters and 16 helicopters.

South Korea announced plans to build its first aircraft carrier to operate F-35B jets with short take-off and vertical landing capabilities in its 2021-2025 national plan.

However, these plans have been delayed, and the aircraft carrier project was not included in the 2024-2028 midterm defense blueprint. It was mentioned as a future project, contingent on ongoing research results expected early next year.

Alexander Hynd, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, said there were ongoing debates in some Asian countries about the extent of their investment in aircraft carrier programmes.

“Despite advances in anti-ship and anti-aircraft defence systems, aircraft carriers are still one of the biggest contemporary symbols of military power, and the ability to project that power,” South China Morning Post quoted Hynd as saying.

The US has historically provided naval power in the US-South Korea alliance, expecting South Korea to focus on land-based military capabilities, Hynd said.

Walter Ladwig, a senior international-relations lecturer at King’s College London, said the symbolic value of aircraft carriers could bolster a country’s regional and global influence.

“If countries were feeling seriously threatened, there would be a massive expansion of submarine acquisition programmes across Asia. This pursuit of aircraft carriers appears driven more by a desire for prestige and the trappings of great power status rather than purely military utility,” Ladwig told South China Morning Post.

“The US is the leading naval power in the world. China’s attempts to emulate the US reflects a desire to be seen as quasi-peers on the global stage, enhancing their international standing,” Ladwig added.

With inputs from agencies