...not much for the heavy stuff catapults can get airborne. So the second one will be a flat-top.
Chinese Admirals Spill the Beans on New Aircraft Carrier
...As for new technology, Rear Admiral Ma said China has tested a new launch system many times and that all tests so far have gone quite smoothly. Ma spoke of breakthroughs in an electromagnetic catapult launch system for the new carrier. The new technology will set it apart from the Liaoning, which uses a more-outdated ski jump launch system. Breakthroughs in developing a catapult system would result in an enormous increase in the flight radius and payload of carrier-based aircraft, Ma said. With this technology, Ma claimed, China will be on par with or even more advanced than the United States....
...Liu was also coy on the total number of carriers China will produce, acknowledging that various number (six or less) have been reported in the past. In his own opinion, Liu said, China needed at least three so that at any given time, China could have one carrier on patrol, one undergoing repairs, and one being used for training. But the more [carriers] the better, Liu said, provided the funding is there.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/03/chinese-admirals-spill-the-beans-on-new-aircraft-carrier/
Which, of course, made Carlyle Group's day.