China’s “Tofu” Aircraft Carrier: The Fatal Flaws of the Fujian Revealed

"China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, was introduced as a symbol of rising military power. But ever since new images surfaced, doubts about its real combat capability have grown louder. Two former U.S. Navy carrier veterans reviewed the photos and concluded that Fujian operates at only around 60% of the effectiveness of America’s decades-old Nimitz-class carriers. Their analysis didn’t just spark debate abroad — it immediately triggered a wave of discussion inside China.
What makes the story even more intriguing is that these criticisms weren’t new at all. Months before U.S. experts spoke up, a Chinese netizen on Zhihu — known as Leuan — had already broken down the same structural issues in detail. His March analysis mirrored everything Western specialists pointed out in October, and even went further. This raises a difficult question: if ordinary users could identify these flaws so clearly, how could the design team behind China’s flagship carrier not notice?

#china #chinatruths #chinanews"