The Fujian is an eagerly awaited addition to China’s fleet. China asserted its dominance by launching the newest and most advanced aircraft carrier in Asia. This next-generation, 80,000-tonne supersaurus is even bigger than the Indian or Japanese aircraft carriers and has many obvious advantages—electromagnetic catapults can launch a fighter more frequently.
China is already expanding its naval muscles, so the neighboring big nations like India, Japan, and South Korea have already begun to strengthen their navies. Skeptics argue that such a naval build-up is being precipitated primarily by tensions over China’s ascendancy in the region.
China is perceived as a source of concern to some Asian states, such as India, said C Uday Bhaskar, a former Indian navy officer.
“It has anti-status quo credentials and can easily turn into a threat in quick time due to China’s revisionist plans/ambitions.”
For example, India has claimed that it is preparing to start the construction of its third aircraft carrier shortly, a development viewed as necessary to offset China’s naval capabilities. In Japan, the Kaga Helicopter Carrier has been modified to support F-35B fifth-generation fighter Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing Jets. On the other hand, South Korea is reportedly considering constructing its supercarrier.
However, some critics have pointed out that other factors, such as the desire for prestige under the requirements of a great power status, can influence the need for those expensive belt-and-suspender naval platforms. Then, adding to what Walter Ladwig, a senior international relations lecturer at King’s College London, said, ‘’If countries were feeling seriously threatened, there would be a massive expansion of submarine acquisition programs across Asia’.
Nonetheless, the strategic calculus in Asia is clear: as China expands its navy more and more, the nations of the region, that is, China’s neighbors, seek ways and means to prop up their naval forces, and this is likely to create a new era of conflicts in the years to come.
