Xi attends commissioning of China's Fujian aircraft carrier in South China

SANYA -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday attended the commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, boarded the aircraft carrier to inspect the vessel after the ceremony at a naval port in the city of Sanya, South China's Hainan province.

Bearing the hull number 18, this aircraft carrier is one of the country's three carriers currently in service. Named after Fujian province in East China and launched in June 2022, the vessel was independently designed and built by China.

About 2,000 representatives from the navy and institutions involved in the construction of the aircraft carrier took part in the ceremony on Wednesday.

At the ceremony, Xi presented a flag of the Chinese People's Liberation Army to the captain and political commissar of the Fujian, and took a group photo with them.

Aboard the vessel, Xi was briefed on the country's aircraft carrier development. He learned about the systematic combat capabilities of the aircraft carriers and the electromagnetic catapult system.

On the flight deck, new-generation carrier-based aircraft, including the J-35 and J-15T fighter jets and the KongJing-600 early warning aircraft, were parked in sequence. Talking with carrier-based aircraft pilots, Xi encouraged them to keep improving their skills and expertise, and to contribute to the development of the combat capabilities of the Fujian.

Xi visited the control tower on the island section of the Fujian to learn about flight command and takeoff-and-landing operations. He then entered the pilot house, where he signed the log book.

It was Xi's decision that the Fujian adopt the electromagnetic catapult system. On Wednesday, he visited the control area of this system and attentively observed the operational procedures.

He also toured the vessel's dining facilities and crew quarters to inspect the living conditions of officers and sailors.

Cai Qi and Zhang Guoqing also attended Wednesday's ceremony, which was presided over by Zhang Shengmin.

[Video/CGTN]