Shanghai shipyard racing to hit Communist Party congress deadline for China’s latest aircraft carrier
- Construction is restarting after more than a month of delays caused by China’s worst Covid-19 outbreak since the pandemic started
- The PLA Navy hints third carrier may be ready in time for the year’s most important political event
Before the Shanghai outbreak, the PLA Navy had been widely expected to launch the vessel on April 23, as part of its 73rd anniversary celebrations. Instead, an official video was released highlighting the achievements of its carrier crews and fighter pilots.
The six-minute video concludes with a note that it was specially produced to celebrate the opening of the party congress, before cutting to a young crewman on the phone to his mother, telling her he is “preparing for a third child”.
A source close to the military said the navy was hoping to launch the carrier around autumn, when the congress is expected to take place.
“Since the video has been released to the public, it’s a compulsory task for shipbuilders to launch the Type 003 ship before the national party congress,” the source said.
“There are tremendous tests and trials to do in the final stage of construction work involved in equipment installation on the carrier, which may take several months.”
Li Zheng, the party head of Shanghai’s Chongming district, visited the shipbuilding complex on Changxing Island on Monday, according to a statement posted the following day on the local government website.
His purpose was to make sure work resumed smoothly after the disruptions caused by the lockdowns, and that restrictions intended to stop any spread of Covid-19 were strictly followed.
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The statement said these included comprehensive closed-off and semi-closed pandemic prevention management systems – compulsory measures under President Xi Jinping’s “dynamic zero-Covid” policy.
Li’s visit followed a stress test at the shipyard complex as a rehearsal for its reopening after more than a month. CSSC earlier reported its workers were volunteering at the temporary hospitals – set up as part of Shanghai’s Covid-19 fight – during the shutdown.
Before they are allowed to return to production sites, the employees will have to show negative PCR test results for at least the previous week, according to a CSSC report.
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CSSC said the stress test of the complex’s rapid response capabilities was aimed at guaranteeing accommodation for nearly 4,000 workers as well as its production and anti-pandemic systems.
No date was given for when work would resume, but the shipbuilder said production would return gradually if no abnormalities were identified during the stress test.
Hong Kong-based military commentator Liang Guoliang said recent pictures on the Chongming district government’s website appeared to confirm production systems had been restored at the complex, even as the city’s battle to contain the outbreak continued.
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These included images of the carrier’s island control structure in the final stage of construction, as well as weapons systems, catapults, propulsion system and other procedures, he said.
“There is no problem for the carrier work to resume, as almost all the shipbuilding workers and engineers have become used to living on Changxing Island under a nearly closed-off management system since the outbreak of Covid-19 two years ago.”
Construction of the new carrier was confirmed by state news agency Xinhua in November 2018, but has been under way at the Jiangnan shipyard on Changxing since late 2017.
The carrier – which is expected to be called the Jiangsu, in line with the protocol of naming the vessels after coastal provinces from north to south – has a flat-top flight deck equipped with three electromagnetic catapults, similar to the world’s most advanced aircraft launch systems.
