CHINA LAUNCHES INDIGENOUS PLANE CARRIER
Building of 70,000tonne vessel started in November 2013
BEIJING: China on Wednesday launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier in the northeastern port city of Dalian against the backdrop of maritime disputes in the South China Sea and unease in New Delhi over Beijing’s increasing naval prowess.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy began building the 70,000tonne aircraft carrier in November 2013 and it is China’s second carrier. The first to be inducted was the Liaoning, a refurbished Soviet Union-made vessel commissioned in 2012.
The unnamed Type 001A vessel, decorated with red flags and ribbons, was transferred from a dry dock into the water after a ribbon was cut and a champagne bottle was broken on its bow as steam whistles from nearby ships went off. Gen Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission that is headed by President Xi Jinping, joined the launch ceremony.
Fan’s presence, state media said, indicated “the significance Chinese leaders attach to the colossal ship because only the most important equipment for the PLA would have top-level officers at the public debut ceremony”. Construction of the new carrier began in November 2013 and experts believe it is likely to enter service around 2020, after several years of sea trials and testing of weapons and other systems. “The main body of the carrier has been completed, with equipment of major systems including propulsion and electricity installed,” state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
“In the next phase, the carrier will start the outfitting process,” state-controlled China Daily quoted a military statement as saying. “During the outfitting stage, engineers and workers will complete the installation of the ship’s power plant, engines, interior equipment and systems as well as weapons.”
Ma Xiaoguang, a Chinese mainland spokesperson with the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said: “(The move) will help to strengthen our capability to safeguard national sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as major and core interests.”