Accelerated Advancement of China's Naval Modernization: From the "Five Components of Aircraft Carriers" to the Strategic Leap of Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carriers

May 2026 became a landmark month in the modernization process of the Chinese Navy. In just two weeks, the Ministry of Defense held a routine press conference that publicly confirmed the "carrier battle group five-piece set" for the first time, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum's preparatory meeting gathered representatives from over 40 countries for multilateral defense dialogue, and Pakistan's first "Kirin" class AIP submarine was officially delivered in Sanya—this series of actions outlines a clear picture of the Chinese Navy accelerating its transformation towards blue-water operations from three dimensions: equipment construction, defense diplomacy, and military-industrial cooperation.

On May 9, Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, responded at a routine press conference to media inquiries regarding the question of "with the deployment of various new aircraft, the People's Navy has successfully equipped stealth carrier-based fighters, multi-role carrier-based fighters, fixed-wing carrier-based early warning aircraft, fixed-wing electronic warfare aircraft, and anti-submarine helicopters, forming the 'carrier battle group five-piece set'." Jiang Bin stated that this is an important part of forming the operational capability of the carrier battle group system and a significant achievement in the People's Navy's accelerated transformation. This is the first time the Chinese government has publicly confirmed the concept of the "carrier battle group five-piece set," marking that the new generation of carrier strike groups centered around the Fujian ship has transitioned from the platform construction phase to the system integration phase. The so-called "five-piece set" encompasses all core elements of the carrier air wing: the J-35 stealth carrier-based fighter provides air superiority and deep strike capabilities, the J-15T multi-role carrier-based aircraft undertakes anti-surface and anti-ground strike missions, the KJ-600 fixed-wing early warning aircraft establishes the fleet air defense command system, the J-15D electronic warfare aircraft is responsible for electromagnetic spectrum suppression, and the Z-20F anti-submarine helicopter forms the last line of underwater defense. This configuration standard is approaching the organizational system of the U.S. Navy's carrier air wings, indicating that the Chinese Navy's carrier strike groups have for the first time possessed the full-spectrum capability to independently conduct blue-water operations in high-threat environments.

More strategically significant is the thematic promotional video "Towards the Ocean," released on April 23, 2026—on the 77th anniversary of the People's Navy—which sparked widespread discussion about China's fourth aircraft carrier both domestically and internationally. The new recruit character in the video is named "He Jian," which phonetically resembles "nuclear ship," interpreted as suggesting that the fourth aircraft carrier will use nuclear propulsion. When asked about this matter at a press conference on April 30, Ministry of Defense spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang responded with "a thousand readers have a thousand Hamlets," neither confirming nor denying, maintaining strategic ambiguity while leaving ample room for interpretation. Coupled with China's continuous breakthroughs in nuclear power technology in recent years—including the land verification of the Linglong-1 small nuclear reactor and the advancement of the nuclear-powered icebreaker project—the technical foundation for China to build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers is becoming increasingly mature. From the Liaoning (Type 001/training and experimental), Shandong (Type 002/short take-off), to the Fujian (Type 003/electromagnetic catapult), China's aircraft carrier development follows a clear generational progression logic, and the adoption of nuclear propulsion for the fourth aircraft carrier technically aligns with this evolutionary trajectory.

In terms of China-Pakistan defense cooperation, on April 30, Pakistan's first "Kirin" class (Hangor-class) AIP conventional submarine PNS/M Hangor was officially delivered in Sanya, Hainan. Pakistani President Zardari and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Ashraf attended the handover ceremony in Sanya, highlighting the strategic significance of this project for Pakistan. This class of submarine is developed based on China's Type 039B conventional submarine technology, with a displacement of approximately 2,800 tons, equipped with domestically produced CHD-620 diesel engines and an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, significantly enhancing underwater endurance compared to traditional diesel-electric submarines. According to the contract signed in 2015, Pakistan ordered a total of 8 submarines of this class, with the first four built by China’s Wuchang Shipbuilding and the latter four assembled at the Karachi Shipyard through technology transfer. Currently, all four of the first batch have been launched and are undergoing sea trials, with the total contract amounting to approximately $4 to $5 billion. This is China's largest single export order for conventional submarines to date, marking that China's high-end conventional submarine technology has gained international market trust, and it also means that Pakistan's submarine force will possess one of the largest AIP submarine fleets in Asia, profoundly impacting the underwater power balance in the Indian Ocean.

From May 7 to 9, the 2026 Beijing Xiangshan Forum preparatory meeting was held in Beijing, attended by over 120 defense officials, experts, and media representatives from more than 40 countries and international organizations. The meeting focused on the theme of "Global Security Governance: Challenges and Solutions," discussing topics such as international order and the rule of law, new security challenges in the Asia-Pacific, and risk management of emerging military technologies, and set up a special topic on "The Role of International Forums in Global Security Governance" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Meanwhile, on May 9, the Ministry of Defense also announced that the China-Thailand "Assault-2026" joint army training will be held in Thailand in mid to late May, focusing on joint counter-terrorism in mountainous jungle areas, marking the eighth time the two countries' armies have conducted this series of joint training. These multilateral defense diplomatic activities indicate that China is actively using security dialogue and joint exercises as strategic communication tools to build a more multidimensional military diplomatic network in a complex geopolitical environment.

Looking at the intensive dynamics in early May 2026, the Chinese Navy is at a critical juncture in its strategic transformation from "near-seas defense" to "far-seas protection." The public confirmation of the "carrier battle group five-piece set" indicates that the comprehensive combat capability of the third-generation carrier strike group is nearing completion, while the public hint at a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier suggests that longer-term technical goals are being advanced, and the successful delivery of the "Kirin" class submarines proves that China's military industry has the capability to export high-end naval warfare platforms to friendly countries. At the same time, the regular operation of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum and joint training arrangements with countries like Thailand also provide institutionalized channels for external communication regarding the rapidly growing military strength. This series of actions is not isolated but represents a systematic advancement by the Chinese Navy around the three core pillars of equipment construction, industrial foundation, and international cooperation in the first year of the "14th Five-Year Plan." For the regional security landscape, understanding and adapting to the rise of a Chinese Navy equipped with nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, a complete carrier-based aircraft system, and an expanding military cooperation network is becoming an unavoidable core issue in the defense planning of countries in the Indo-Pacific region.