China’s Top Aircraft Carrier Fujian Begins Service in Boost to Beijing

China’s largest and most advanced warship has officially entered its military fleet, boosting Beijing’s ability to project naval power amid rising US concern about its assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.

The Fujian was officially commissioned for service on Wednesday at a ceremony overseen by President Xi Jinping in the southern island of Hainan, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The ship is named after the Chinese province facing Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy the Communist Party has vowed to claim someday, by force if necessary.