The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy released a video on April 22 appearing to hint at a future nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, part of a four-day sequence of naval signals that also included a Taiwan Strait carrier transit and a state-directed island build-up order.
The video, titled Sailing Toward the Ocean, features a fictional 19-year-old recruit named “He Jian,” a Mandarin homophone for “nuclear vessel.” China’s three active carriers bear sequential pennant numbers 16, 17, and 18.
China’s Navy official video hints that China’s fourth aircraft carrier is nuclear-powered.
In the video to mark the 77th anniversary (April 23) of China’s Navy, a 19-year-old (hull number 19) new recruit named “He Jian” 何剑 (sounding “hé jiàn” 核舰=nuclear-powered vessel),… pic.twitter.com/DXkaZs6wcS
— Li Zexin 李泽欣 (@XH_Lee23) April 23, 2026
The film closes with a naval officer urging his son, “Xiao Wan,” a name alluding to Taiwan, to come home. China’s defense ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
In the latest Chinese Navy promotional video Towards the Ocean, a touching scene went viral online. A naval captain tells his son nicknamed Xiao Wan: “Don’t be naughty. Mom is waiting for you at home.” To many viewers, Xiao Wan carries a symbolic meaning of Taiwan, as a beloved… pic.twitter.com/SOiQMZCxEn
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) April 23, 2026
Three days before the video aired, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed the carrier Liaoning transited the Taiwan Strait on April 20, the first such crossing since December 2025.
The #PLA Navy’s Liaoning aircraft carrier (CV-16) transited the Taiwan Strait today. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded. pic.twitter.com/iq4dVmwyTr
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC(Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) April 20, 2026
Satellite imagery published by Newsweek on February 25 shows what appear to be two shielded reactor compartments inside the hull of the Type 004, China’s prospective fourth carrier under construction at the Dalian shipyard.
Former U.S. Navy submariner Tom Shugart assessed nuclear propulsion “extremely likely” based on similarities to Ford-class construction. China has not confirmed the design. A December 2025 Pentagon assessment projected Beijing would field nine carriers by 2035.
On April 23, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources called for greater efforts to “protect” more than 11,000 claimed islands in an article in People’s Daily, with nearly 60% in the East China Sea and 30% in the South China Sea.
“The facilities on its artificial island bases have allowed Chinese law enforcement, naval, and militia vessels to spend every day of the year patrolling the waters of its neighbors up to 1,000 nautical miles from the Chinese coastline,” said Gregory Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
