Screenshot from a video released by the Chinese Navy
BEIJING: A video released by the Chinese Navy, highlighting China’s blue-water naval ambitions, has sparked speculation that the fourth aircraft carrier currently under construction will be a nuclear-powered carrier.
Released on Wednesday to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, “Into The Deep” showed the Chinese navy’s transition from maritime ambitions and coastal defences. The video also highlighted China’s “blue water” naval force, which is capable of conducting deep-sea operations. It also showed the compass that had been passed down through generations of naval officers and was named after the three aircraft carriers Liao Ning, Shan Dong, and Fu Jian currently in service. But a fourth character has been named He Jian, a hint that it could be a nuclear-powered ship because “Hu” sounds like the Chinese word for “nuclear” and “Jian” is a word meaning “ship,” the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. China has not officially confirmed this. Satellite images taken over years suggest the ship is similar in size to the US nuclear-powered Gerald R Ford-class aircraft carriers, raising speculation about whether a similar propulsion method will be used.
