By Lyle Goldstein
The launch of China’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian, provides a welcome respite to a country struggling to adapt to the evolving challenge of Covid.
China’s self-imposed target of maintaining “zero-Covid” has stirred plenty of internal frustration. But “naval nationalism” – the phenomenon in which people feel united by the site of such a symbol of national strength – has worked well for Beijing and the mighty warship’s arrival is, therefore, most timely for Chinese leaders.
Some naval theorists might legitimately question the strategic rationale for China’s force of aircraft carriers. Can such traditional warships survive against the onslaught of anti-ship technologies, ranging from drones to satellite reconnaissance to nuclear submarines to anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) like the truck-mounted missiles that recently sank the pride of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Moskva?
Ironically, it is China that has pioneered some of these fearsome weapons, such as anti-ship ballistic missiles or hypersonic anti-ship missiles. Moreover, such expensive behemoths would seem to be quite unnecessary for the conquest of Taiwan, which is a mere 90 miles off the Chinese coast and thus within easy reach of nearly all of China’s myriad land-based combat aircraft.
This piece was originally published in Asia Times on June 28, 2022. Read more HERE.