China’s Carrier Quest: The Jiangnan Shipyard Becomes a Beast of Construction
2025‑08‑28 | Hong Kong/Beijing Insights
Satellite snapshots taken last month reveal that China’s first full‑size aircraft carrier is moving forward like a ship that’s been lessons‑learned from a script in a sci‑fi blockbuster. The Jiangnan shipyard, tucked just outside Shanghai, has turned a former patch of farmland into a mega‑factory that could churn out not one, but a fleet of big ships.
From Pre‑fab Piles to a Near‑Complete Berth
- CSIS (Centre for Strategic & International Studies) identified rows of pre‑fabricated sections and bulkheads clustered near the hull assembly line. Their layout suggests the vessel’s backbone could be sealed in about 12 months.
- Once the hull is wrapped up, it will be shipped to a newly built harbor—coated with a 1 km long wharf—where the final touches will be added.
- Think of the estuary as a metamorphosis clinic: just a year ago it was abandoned farmland; now it’s a sprawling industrial complex with massive buildings ready to crunch out ship components.
- Compared to the nearby berth hosting destroyers, this new one dwarfs the old, hinting at a future where China lives and breathes carrier production.
What the Analysts Are Saying
“We see steady progress on the hull, but the infrastructure buildup is where the real surprise lies,” says Matthew Funaiole of CSIS.
“It’s hard to believe all of this is for a single ship. It feels like the birth of a carrier factory.”
A Singapore‑based analyst, Collin Koh, adds that the modern facility on the sparsely populated island at the Yangtze’s mouth could offer better security than Dalian’s crowded shipyards. It might also foster closer ties between commercial and military shipbuilders, a small hint of industrial synergy that could become a game‑changer.
China’s Navy Moves Toward Bigger Ships
Official whispers and state media indicate that the third carrier—nicknamed Type 002—has already kicked off production. At the same time, the Pentagon confirmed the third carrier’s work had begun in its annual survey of China’s military modernization.
While we lack a formal announcement, imaging analysis suggests the upcoming carrier will be a mid‑size beast: smaller than the US’s 100,000‑tonne superviruses, bigger than France’s 42,500‑tonne Charles de Gaulle. It will likely flaunt a flat deck and a catapult launch system, bringing a larger pool of aircraft and heavily armed jets to its repertoire.
Future Fleet Dreams
“The Type 001 carriers are essentially training platforms,” says an unnamed Asian military attaché. “They’re the stepping stones toward a fleet of up to six operational carriers by 2030.”
“We see the ambition, and we can’t deny it,” the attaché adds. “China will get there.”
Meanwhile, the new Jiangnan plant’s rapid scale‑up hints that it could become a “factory” for carriers and other large ships—an industrial engine that fuels Beijing’s global navy ambitions. With every crane raised and every bulkhead assembled, China appears to be drafting a new chapter in naval history, one that could challenge decades of US strategic dominance in East Asia.
Stay Tuned for More Revelations
The CSIS China Power Project will release more detailed images on Thursday, Oct 17. Ongoing scrutiny from Asian and Western militaries keeps a keen eye on this high‑stakes endeavor, as the carrier’s emergence could reshape the balance of naval power worldwide.