• Commissioning takes place in China’s island province of Hainan. 
• Beijing directs billions of dollars into defence in recent years. 
• Over 2,000 from navy, carrier construction units attend ceremony. 

China’s third aircraft carrier entered service after a ceremony this week marking its handover to the navy, state media said on Friday, a key milestone in President Xi Jinping’s drive to modernise the military.

The Fujian joins China’s fleet as Beijing seeks to project maritime power against the United States and others in the region, with flashpoints including competing territorial claims in the South China Sea and persisting tensions with Taiwan.

The official commissioning, attended by Xi, took place at a naval port in China’s southern island province of Hainan on Wednesday, Xinhua reported.

Footage of the proceedings released by state broadcaster CCTV showed Xi and other top officials from the ruling Communist Party (CCP) in attendance at the port.

But Beijing has directed billions of dollars into defence in recent years, a trend that has unnerved some governments in East Asia despite China insisting its aims are peaceful.

The navy in particular has seen a massive expansion as leaders seek to grow China’s reach in the Pacific and challenge a US-led alliance.

After conducting sea trials in recent months, the Fujian now joins China’s other two carriers in active operation, the Liaoning and the Shandong.

The Soviet-built Liaoning is the oldest, commissioned in 2012, while the Shandong entered service in 2019.

Analysts have said that the latest carrier boasts more advanced take-off systems, allowing the Chinese air force to deploy jets carrying larger payloads and more fuel.

‘Grand and enthusiastic’

More than 2,000 people from the navy and the carrier’s construction units were present at Wednesday’s ceremony, standing on the dock in rows, Xinhua reported.

“The atmosphere was grand and enthusiastic,” it said.

“After the ceremony, Xi Jinping boarded the Fujian… and learned about the development of the aircraft carrier system combat capabilities and the construction and application of the electromagnetic catapult system,” it said.

The Fujian is equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), a more efficient technology than conventional steam-powered methods.

Xinhua said Xi “personally decided” that the Fujian would adopt an EMALS system.

The only other aircraft carrier currently equipped with this technology is the USS Gerald R Ford.

Xi also went into the carrier’s control tower to learn about flight operations, Xinhua said, adding that he “solemnly signed the ship’s logbook”.

The Fujian had already been in the spotlight several times leading up to its formal commissioning.

Chinese defence officials confirmed in September that the Fujian had sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait to carry out “scientific research trials and training missions” in the South China Sea.

Analysts say the transit was likely intended to send a strong signal to potential adversaries.

Defence ministries in Japan and Taiwan said at the time that they had detected the Fujian’s movements, which brought it within approximately 200 kilometres (125 miles) of the disputed Senkaku Islands, known in Chinese as the Diaoyu Islands.

China also released videos in September of aircraft takeoffs and landings aboard the Fujian, including with its fifth-generation J-35 stealth fighter.

State media hailed it as a “new breakthrough” in the development of Chinese carriers and a “major milestone” in the modernisation of the navy.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran has requested the lifting of heavy US sanctions, adding that he is open to discussing the possibility.

“Frankly, Iran has been asking if the sanctions could be lifted. They’re facing very heavy US sanctions, which makes it really hard,” Trump said during a dinner with Central Asian leaders at the White House.

“I’m open to hearing that, and we’ll see what happens but I would be open to it,” he added.

Western powers, including the United States, have long accused Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies, insisting its program is purely peaceful.

Iran has been under years of international sanctions, particularly since Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed strict economic measures.

Tensions escalated in June, when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that briefly drew in the United States with targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The conflict marked by Iranian missile and drone attacks in retaliation — derailed the fragile nuclear talks that had been ongoing between Tehran and Washington since April.

Trump said Iran had once been the “bully of the Middle East,” but “no longer has the possibility of nuclear weapons.”

The Republican president, who returned to office in January, has repeatedly claimed that recent strikes destroyed much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, though the full extent of the damage remains unclear.

In September, the United Nations reinstated sanctions against Tehran under the so-called “snapback” mechanism after Britain, France and Germany triggered the process.

Those measures bar dealings linked to the Islamic republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities.

Oman, which has hosted several rounds of US-Iran nuclear talks, has called on both sides to return to negotiations.

The talks had aimed for a new agreement that would curb Iran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords, a move aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations.

The announcement came after Trump said he had spoken with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

“We will soon announce a signing ceremony to make it official, and many more countries are seeking to join this club of STRENGTH,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The Kazakh government said in a statement that the accession was in the final stages of negotiation. “Our anticipated joining of the Abraham Accords represents a natural continuation of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy — grounded in dialogue, mutual respect, and regional stability,” it added.

Kazakhstan already maintains full diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, making the move largely symbolic, though US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized on Thursday that it represents “an enhanced relationship beyond just diplomatic relations.”

Rubio explained, “It creates a partnership with all other countries in the accord, bringing unique economic development opportunities and cooperative projects across multiple sectors.”

Trump met with Tokayev and leaders from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan at the White House, as the US seeks to expand its influence in a region traditionally dominated by Russia and increasingly courted by China.

“Some of the countries represented here are going to be joining the Abraham Accords, and announcements will be made shortly,” Trump said.

Witkoff returning for announcement

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said earlier at a business forum in Florida that he would be returning to Washington for the announcement, without naming the country.

Axios first reported that the country would be Kazakhstan.

A second source familiar with the matter said the United States hopes that Kazakhstan’s entry will help reinvigorate the Abraham Accords, the expansion of which has been on hold during the Gaza war.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to expand the accords that he brokered during his first term in the White House.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established ties with Israel in 2020 under the Trump-brokered Abraham Accords. Morocco established ties with Israel later the same year.

Trump has been upbeat about the prospects that regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia will finally join the accords since a ceasefire went into effect in Gaza last month, but Riyadh has shown no willingness to move ahead without at least a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to visit the White House on November 18.

Other Central Asian countries such as Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, both of which have close ties with Israel, have also been seen as potentially joining the Abraham Accords, which is considered a signature foreign policy achievement of Trump’s first term.