China Confirms It’s Building a 4th Aircraft Carrier—and the Tables Are Turning

The balance of naval forces braces for a recalibration with the Dragon’s latest ascent.

A Chinese admiral has confirmed that China is constructing its fourth aircraft carrier.
China commissioned its first carrier in 2012, and now has a fleet of three ships.
Although China’s carrier fleet is growing rapidly, it is still only half the size of the US Pacific Fleet’s carrier force.

China is reportedly building a fourth aircraft carrier, making it the second largest carrier power behind the United States. A report in Hong Kong state media claims that there will be an announcement “soon” on a new flat top, along with a release of technical details. The fourth carrier may be China’s first nuclear-powered surface ship—a major milestone in ship development and the key toward projecting Chinese military power abroad.

A Wink and a Nod

Xinhua News Agency//Getty Images
A Shenyang J-15 strike fighter prepares to take off from China’s second aircraft carrier, Shandong, April 2023. Note the nose wheel is not attached to a shuttle as one would find on a carrier equipped with catapults.

A reporter for the state-owned Hong Kong Commercial Daily questioned Chinese Navy Vice Admiral and political commissar Yuan Huazhi about whether or not China’s next carrier would be nuclear powered and what it would be named. Huazhi reportedly smiled when asked if the carrier would use nuclear propulsion and said there would be “an announcement soon.” He also said there were no technical bottlenecks in the construction of new carriers, and that there are no delays.

While the exchange does not sound like a definitive “yes,” multiple Chinese media outlets—including the South China Morning Post and the nationalist tabloid Global Times—have also reported the exchange as confirmation of a fourth ship.