Nation launches its 1st domestic aircraft carrier
BEIJING — China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier slipped into the sea for the first time on Wednesday, after days of publicity celebrating the impending launch as a milestone in President Xi Jinping’s drive to extend China’s military reach far beyond its shores.
Senior military and government officials watched as a Champagne bottle was smashed on the bow and as the 1,033foot gray hull of the carrier eased into the water at Dalian, a northeastern port, Chinese military news media reported. The ship, festooned with red national flags and banners, then stopped next to the dock.
It is far from ready for operations, but the launch “signified a major stage of progress of our country’s indigenous design and construction of aircraft carriers,” a news bulletin from the People’s Liberation Army said. It said the carrier would undergo more testing and fitting of equipment before trials in the water.
China launched its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in 2011, after buying and equipping its rusting Soviet-era hull from Ukraine in 1998. The new carrier is built along similar lines, although it appears slightly larger and more advanced, analysts said. The vessel may need three or so years before it is fully equipped, tested and commissioned for missions.
But the launch conveyed that China intended to build a navy that could not be beaten by other Asian countries, said Patrick Cronin, senior director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.
“With each new aircraft carrier, China is sending a signal that it has no peer among its neighbors,” he said.
China is entangled in maritime disputes with Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and other Asian countries.