China’s armed forces are fast building the country’s fourth aircraft carrier, which experts said showcased Beijing’s impressive industrial base.
Details about the vessel are scarce, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a post about the secretive project, but progress has been steady. It is very likely to be the biggest of China’s aircraft carriers, and will probably be nuclear powered.
Though it is still years from deployment, even on its accelerated construction schedule, the project represents “the latest step in the [Chinese navy’s] rapid modernization drive and underscores Beijing’s continued push toward a larger, more capable blue-water fleet,” CSIS said. That could result in “a sea change in the global balance of military power.”