To China, new aircraft carrier a status symbol

BEIJING — China has launched its first aircraft carrier built entirely on its own, in a demonstration of the growing technical sophistication of its defense industries and determination to safeguard its maritime territorial claims and trade routes.

The 50,000-ton carrier was towed from its dockyard this week after a ceremony in the northern port city of Dalian, where its predecessor, the Soviet-built Liaoning — purchased from Ukraine — underwent extensive refurbishing before being commissioned in 2012, the Ministry of National Defense said.

Development of the new carrier began in 2013 and construction in late 2015. It’s expected to be formally commissioned sometime before 2020, after sea trials and the arrival of its full air complement.

Chinese naval strategists see the carrier programnot only as ameansto protect their country’s maritime interests, but also to have “naval power commensurate with China’s international status, toimpress both external and domestic audiences,” said Michael Chase, an expert on the Chinese military atU.S. think tank theRANDCorp.

The new carrier “is likely to be seen as further evidence of China’s desire to become the most powerful and country in the region,” he said.

That will be especially worrying to Indian security analysts who are already concerned about Beijing’s ambitions in the Indian Ocean, he said.

India, along with Japan and Taiwan, which also view Chinese carriers as threats, will likely respond by building new submarines and anti-ship missiles, said Ian Easton, a research Fellow at The Project 2049 Institute in Arlington, Va.

China’s “expansionist behavior in the South China Sea and its aggressive efforts to undermine the security of Taiwan and Japan, in particular, have translated into a situation where few countries now trust that Beijing has benign motives,” Easton said.

China has offered little information about the roles it expects its carriers to play, although its planning appears to be evolving as it gains more experience.

The Liaoningwas initially touted mainly as an experimental and training platform, but in December was declared to be combatand has taken part in live-firing exercises in the South China Sea, where tensions have risen over China’s construction of man-made islands complete with airstrips and military structures. influential