Varyag leaving Turkey in Sep 2001. I meant Ukraine. But for a long time her departure from Black Sea was withheld by Turkey. Buying Varga was the plan B after project 891 was scrapped. Project 891 envisioned PLAN self develop a 50,000 ton class CATOBAR carrier. Steam catapult design work had finished, but they didn't have the fund to build it. Ukraine reached out in 1992 offered to sell Varyag, but no agreement was reached at that time because PLAN decided that ski-jump carrier was not their target.

Varyag reached Dalian in Mar 2002. Sitting in the dock for over a year, her fate wasn't certain.

Sep 14, 2003, Jiang inspected Varyag. Nov 2003, a joint report by PLAN, shipyard and aviation industry was submitted, CV project reinstated, an official proposal submitted in Jun 2004 and officially approved in Aug 14, 2004. Courtesy of President Jiang.

CV-16 Liaoning leaving for sea trial on Aug 10, 2011.

Liaoning conducted 300 sortie training in Western Pacific in May 2022, amid Biden's KJ tour to sell IPEF and QUAD meeting. Courtesy of self defence paparazzi.

The first domestic carrier was originally the current type 003. However extra funding was provded to PLAN to start construction of 002, improved Varag. Construction of CV-17 Shandong started in 2016. Courtesy of President Hu.

Launching of Shandong in Dalian on Apr 26, 2017.

Commissioning of Shandong on Dec 17, 2019 after the 9th sea trial in Hainan.

Launching of 003 Fujian in Jiangnan Jun 17, 2022. 003 was originally a steam catapult carrier, which construction and launch supposed to be around two years earlier. I guess with the 002, PLAN could afford to redesign 003 as EMAL carrier, delayed by around two years.

CV-18 Fujian in future.