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Rare Photos of China's Latest Aircraft Carrier Shared Online


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Rare photos of China's third aircraft carrier, Fujian, surfaced on Chinese social media, even as the country has tightened its grip on leaked images of military assets.

Images of the Fujian aircraft carrier appeared on Tuesday on the X-like Chinese social media platform Weibo, which seem to have been taken from a plane flying over a shipyard. It's rare for the outside world to glimpse China's defense modernization as Beijing's spy agencies have increasingly emphasized countering social media leaks of open-source information about military equipment.

China's three aircraft carriers are part of a broader effort by Beijing to transform its naval capabilities. Leader Xi Jinping has set his eyes on developing a "blue-water" navy capable of projecting power further away from the mainland.

The Fujian, classified as Type 003, mirrors the size of U.S. Navy supercarriers, though it lacks nuclear propulsion, among other mature capabilities. The Fujian is stationed at Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard, where the carrier is undergoing mooring trials.

The Jiangnan Shipyard is located a few miles northwest of Shanghai Pudong airport, where the Fujian can be captured on camera when the flight takes off from the airport.

The Fujian is testing its steam-based propulsion system, with analysts anticipating its imminent maiden sea trials.

"Will it go out for sea trials on Navy Day this year?" asked a Weibo user while sharing Fujian's images. The Chinese Navy's foundation day falls on April 23.

In December, China's spy agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), warned on China's do-everything-app WeChat that military enthusiasts who had zealously tracked the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) advancements could face imprisonment for sharing images of the nation's latest weaponry online.

"It is a cool hobby, but be careful!" cautioned the ministry in a social media announcement in December, revealing that national security agents had "uncovered a number of criminal cases of military enthusiasts secretly photographing sensitive military equipment" in recent years.

This crackdown underscores the gravity with which Beijing views the unauthorized leak of sensitive data as it doubles down on national security efforts.

Fujian Aircraft Carrier Seen From Top
Fujian in an image leaked on Weibo on March 19, 2024. Images of China's third aircraft carrier program have been difficult to come by as Beijing has cracked down on the leaking of open-source information.... Weibo

The ministry specifically brought attention to the risks posed by disseminating such information, noting how some enthusiasts, motivated by vanity or the desire for online popularity, have inadvertently brought about threats to national defense.

Among the incidents cited were unauthorized aerial shots of the Fujian, capturing it during trials of an advanced fighter jet launch system.

Fujian Aircraft Carrier New Images
Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television showcased the latest images of the Fujian aircraft carrier on its weekly show "Military Information Time" on February 3, 2024. New photos emerged on social media. China Central Television

"Hostile external forces who analyze individual personal photos and other relative information can accurately surmise the manufacturing progress of military equipment, estimate and assess the timeline for commissioning into service and reaching combat effectiveness, and use this as a reference to prepare countermeasures," the MSS said on WeChat.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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