Over the course of this week, new satellite images taken by the European Space Agency have been published, revealing the expansion of naval bases from which China’s Navy plans to deploy its growing fleet of aircraft carriers—a key part of Beijing’s strategy to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. In particular, this would involve the Yuchi Naval Base in the city of Qingdao, which currently hosts the force’s first aircraft carrier, namely the CNS Liaoning.
Expanding on the details, Chinese analysts consulted by the media have stated that the works include the construction of up to four new piers capable of accommodating large ships. The largest observed so far is estimated to be about 100 meters wide, which implies it would be capable of hosting an aircraft carrier with the characteristics of the Liaoning (approximately 73 meters wide) without major difficulties, or alternatively, large replenishment ships of the Chinese Navy. The other three noted piers are about 40 meters each, and are therefore believed to be built for destroyers, frigates, or other smaller surface ships that would make up the rest of a potential Carrier Strike Group.
It should be mentioned at this point that the works in question would allow the institution to better distribute its current three aircraft carriers, considering that the most modern of them, the Fujian (003), still does not have a confirmed home port; reports suggest the vessel is currently moored at a shipyard located in the city of Shanghai. The force’s second carrier, the Shandong, does have a defined base at the Yulin Naval Base in Sanya.
This matter is far from minor, considering that although reports by Western analysts provide insight into the rapid and ambitious expansion of Chinese naval capabilities (currently totaling around 370 ships, the largest in the world by number), they do not necessarily reveal with complete accuracy the scale at which these will be deployed. Monitoring infrastructure works contributes to this analysis, as while Chinese plans may be kept under wraps, images such as those recently published help to overcome these obstacles.
It is also worth noting, that the expansion of these naval bases is directly related to the Chinese government’s aim to counter its main geopolitical rival, namely the United States. In this regard, it should be recalled that against China’s three aircraft carriers (two of which are in service), the U.S. Navy has a total of 11 aircraft carriers; generally keeping one of them deployed on rotation along with its corresponding Carrier Strike Group in the Pacific. Specifically, Washington maintains four large bases capable of hosting such vessels: at Naval Air Station North Island (California), Naval Base Kitsap (Washington), Naval Station Norfolk (Virginia), and Naval Base Yokosuka (in Japan).
Finally, although the state of the project and the expected characteristics of the final product are still unknown in detail, it is necessary to mention that the Asian Giant is reportedly working on the construction of its fourth aircraft carrier at the Dalian shipyards. Known so far as the future Type 004, it is considered by specialized U.S. media as a vessel that would surpass the aforementioned Fujian in size, feature electromagnetic catapult systems (EMALS), and be powered by a nuclear reactor.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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