Read previewChina launched the first sea trial of its newest aircraft carrier on Wednesday, per the state-run news agency Xinhua. However, according to John Bradford, a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs fellow, the Fujian falls far short of US aircraft carrier standards. Related stories"There is nothing yet that compares to the USS carriers," he told Business Insider. AdvertisementUnlike China's two other carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong , the Fujian features a catapult system designed to launch aircraft, according to reports, much like US aircraft carriers. Business Insider previously reported that China's two other aircraft carriers — the Liaoning and Shandong — had outdated Soviet-era designs and smaller air wings, making them notably inferior to US carriers.

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Persons: —, John Bradford, Bradford, Richard Kouyoumdjian Inglis, Gerald Ford, Shandong — Organizations: Service, Xinhua, Business, People's Liberation Army Navy, Foreign Relations International Affairs, US, CNN, Chilean Naval Reserve, Congressional Research Service, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, Gerald Ford Class, Defense, Naval Locations: China, Fujian, Shanghai's, Shanghai, Liaoning, Shandong