中国第三艘航空母舰“福建舰”上周三在海南三亚某军港正式入列。中国国家主席兼中央军委主席习近平亲自出席入列仪式，并登上“福建舰”视察，现场按下电磁弹射按钮。

“福建舰”是中国首艘采用电磁弹射系统的航母，也是全球首艘利用电磁弹射技术让第五代战斗机起飞的航母。据报道，利用该系统，约90秒即可弹射一架歼-15T战斗机，一天内的起降架次最高可达300次。电磁弹射系统还可支持较重机型的起飞，例如固定翼预警机。

中国官媒报道指出，“福建舰”采用电磁弹射技术的决策由习近平亲自拍板。这个决定为什么要习近平亲自作出？

“福建舰”入列后，中国航母编队的整体作战能力将进一步提升。外界关注，此举将如何改变中国与美国海军之间的实力对比，以及对台海地区局势带来何种影响。

这期的早报播客《东谈西论》，听主持人韩咏红与《联合早报》中国新闻资深高级记者于泽远解析电磁弹射技术的突破，以及“福建舰”入列对中美海军实力对比所带来的影响。

China's naval capabilities have reached a new milestone in naval modernisation with the commissioning of its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which is the first carrier to be designed and built entirely within China. 

The vessel is equipped with the advanced Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), marking a major technological leap over the traditional steam catapult and ski-jump ramp configurations seen on earlier carriers, enabling more efficient and frequent aircraft launches.

President Xi Jinping personally attended the commissioning ceremony in Hainan province, underscoring the vessel's strategic importance. 

The commissioning of this advanced carrier raises important questions about its impact on the naval power dynamics between China and the US, as well as the broader security landscape surrounding the Taiwan Strait. In this episode of Global Heartbeat, host Han Yong Hong and Lianhe Zaobao’s China News Copy Editor Yu Zeyuan explores these pivotal developments. 

Hosted by Lianhe Zaobao’s Associate Editor, Han Yong Hong, Global Heartbeat is a Mandarin weekly news and current affairs podcast that is updated every Tuesday. It is available on zaobao.sg, Apple Podcast, Spotify and other podcast platforms.

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