Quoting a US media report, an official Chinese news outlet on August 15, 2018 listed the five big projects of the Chinese Navy in the next five years. It listed the five "big" projects as: (i)  054B frigate - known for many years as the frigate 054B and 057 - and said the project seems to be the 054B, probably because the ship will be derivative of the 054A hull. It said rumours are that less than 24 type 054B frigates are ordered to be manufactured at Hudong and Huangpu where the previous type 054A frigates were manufactured. The size of the 054B is not expected to be much larger than the 054A, possibly between 4500 tons to 5000 tons, but remaining still in the weight class of the medium frigate.

The ship is expected to use improved sensors and more stealthy exterior shapes and incorporate integrated mast. The so-called "rice lamp" mast tested at Wuhan 701 Research Institute has emerged as a possible feature of 054B. It said rumors surrounding the 054B have  been suggesting that it will have enhanced underwater sensors on the basis of 054A, and will have a significant increase in anti-submarine warfare capabilities. 054B is also believed to be the PLAN's first class warship with an electric propulsion system, which has been confirmed by the media. However, it was also suggested that the original hull might use some electric drive systems, such as a combination of diesel electric propulsion with conventional diesel or gas turbines. In any case, 054B is expected to have a more advanced propulsion system than the 054A hybrid diesel and diesel system. (ii)    075 amphibious assault ship- Its displacement is believed to be less than 40000 tons and about 36000-38000 tons. The PLA Navy is believed to have placed orders for three type 075 amphibious assault ships, and work on two ships have already begun from last year or before that. These ships are being built at the East China Shipyard, which has built all the type 071 dock landing ships for the PLA. It is likely that photos of the 075 will be confirmed around next year, possibly in the late assembly phase before the ship is ready to launch.(iii)  Aircraft Carrier 003- China’s second aircraft carrier now designated as 003 or CV-18 - is being built in Changxing and manufacturing of its modules may start in mid-2017. A rumour about the carrier suggests that its several large hull modules can be prefabricated at different locations around Changxing shipyard or even prefabricated around different Shanghai shipyards, and then moved to Changxing's final dry dock for assembly. Rumours also insist that the aircraft carrier will be equipped with catapults, abandoning the ski-jumping decks used on Liaoning and 002, and have a total of three catapults. It may have nearly 80000 tons of displacement. There are strong indications that 003 will use an electromagnetic ejector rather than a steam ejector, but this remains to be confirmed. Conventional power may also be used in 003, although recent signs suggest that the possibility of nuclear propulsion cannot be ruled out. (iv)  New generation carrier based aircraft- It is reported that the design of two competing fifth-generation fighter planes is under development, one in Chengdu, the other in Shenyang, but the Navy has not yet decided on the design. Shenyang’s model is considered to be a compatible retrofit for a large carrier that offers its FC-31 technology demonstration, while Chengdu may be working on a smaller J-20 or a new design. However, these two designs are almost certainly compatible with catapult, to take advantage of the 003 carrier's catapult, which means that aircraft may also retain the ability to ski-jump takeoff from existing carrier aircrafts. Considering recent rumours about the development of a new generation of carrier-based aircraft and the timetable for the construction of the 003 carrier, the first prototype of the fighter is likely to complete its first flight within the next five years at the latest. (v) Ship based fixed wing early warning aircraft system- An onboard AWACS.  The design of the AWACS is from the JZY-01 demonstrator, which is now called the KJ-600. As a fixed-wing propeller-driven early warning aircraft platform, similar to the E-2 series, it will use ejection takeoff. Therefore, KJ/H-600 can only be used in China's ejection take-off aircraft carrier.  In early 2017, for the first time in Wuhan, aircraft models with JZY-01 and expected KJ-600 configurations were first seen at the carrier test facility, but later on it was confirmed that such aircraft was likely to emerge in the near future. Given the years of risk reduction through the JZY-01 platform, the experience of China Aviation in developing modern early warning aircraft, and the expected date of service for the 003 carrier, it is almost certain that the first prototypes of the KJ-600 will appear within the next five years, or perhaps even earlier.