Report: China Is Manufacturing Massive Aircraft Carrier To Rival Largest In U.S. Fleet

Sailors stand near fighter jets on the deck of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning

China is reportedly working on a massive nuclear powered aircraft carrier to rival or potentially surpass the United States’ largest carrier.

Satellite imagery studied by analysts speaking with NBC News revealed that the Chinese Navy is working on a new ship which will allow fighter jets to be launched from four different areas of the flight deck, which is unlike anything in the current Chinese fleet.

“We think this is them testing equipment and layouts for the upcoming Type 04 carrier,” stated James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies researcher Michael Duitsman.

China already claims the throne as the world’s largest navy, although the United States currently has 11 supercarriers allowing for fighter jets to launch from four different points.

China has not officially announced the new project, although it recently announced the Fujian, a Type 003 carrier, which can launch jets from three different areas.

Liu Pengyu, a Chinese spokesperson at the embassy in Washington, recently stated that China’s manufacturing of carriers is “purely defensive in nature,” not connected to any naval “arms race.”

Pengyu went on to say that China would “never engage in aggression and expansion, but we will never give up our legitimate rights and interests, and we will resolutely counter all threats and challenges.”

“China has always adhered to the strategy of self-defense and does not engage in arms race with any other country,” he added, stating that China has “always taken concrete actions to safeguard world peace and inject stability and certainty into the world.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated earlier this month that the United States is facing a “peer competitor in the communist Chinese, with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific.”

Hegseth added that the United States is “prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific.”

In recent years, China has made it a priority to compete with the United States regarding its fleet of nuclear powered aircraft carriers, and has invested heavily in carrier production.

China does however outpace the United States as it presides over 754 warships and submarines, compared to the United States’ 440 warships and submarines.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts